Will the 3-day conference throw up answers for critical FMT issues?

Islamabad March 21 2011

In the light of current global trends in nuclear non proliferation and arms control, South Asian strategic stability institute (SASSI) is organizing a three day conference, March 20-22nd, titled “Fissile Material Treaty: Possibility and Prospects”. 


Aim of this conference is to familiarize domestic and international audience about the issues discussed in the Conference of disarmament (CD), in particular to the matters related to Fissile material treaty, different perspectives and how Pakistan view these issues vis-a-vis its security interests, says a press release.

The participants include a range of experts from Pakistan, United States, Russia, China, European Union and the broader diplomatic community. A broad spectrum of topics will be discussed under the conference title. These are: FMT Debate: Policy Drivers of Various States, Negative Security Assurance: An Un fulfilled agenda, Space Program and Strategic stability, Technology transfers, Regional Security Challenges, Indo-US Cooperation and Implications on Deterrence Stability, Principle of Non-discrimination, Perspectives on fissile material treaty and FMT: Way forward. The patterns of state behavior, specially those of major powers, with regards to their conduct in respective foreign policies in general and in the area of nuclear non proliferation, arms control and disarmament in particular reflects eroding multilateralism and a bend towards discrimination and selectivity. The road towards realizing the world without nuclear weapons, a fundamental objective of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, is increasingly becoming rugged (or uneven) as a result of mentioned trends.More >>>

Waiver to India by NSG a discrimination

Interior Minister Rehman Malik

Islamabad March 23 2011

The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) created discrimination between haves and have-nots. Now the world is asking Pakistan to stop producing fissile material meaning that they are not  recognising it as a nuclear weapon state, said Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik.

He was speaking on the last day of a three-day International Conference on ‘Fissile Material Treaty: Possibility and Prospects’ organised by the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) here on Tuesday. Ayesha Naveed was the stage secretary, while Maria Sultan, director-general of SASSI, chaired the last session.

Rehman Malik said that discrimination is hated all over the world, but the Nuclear Suppliers Group committed it by giving waiver to India. He said that Pakistan over these years experienced discrimination at the hands of major powers.  More >>>

Assistance to India can increase nuclear proliferation

Islamabad March 21 2011

Pakistan’s credible nuclear deterrence will be eroded if world powers continue to assist India with the development of advanced nuclear technology, according to Dr Maria Sultan, a security analyst and the head of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI). 

Sultan suggests that the civilian nuclear assistance being provided to India which she suggests is being provided not just by the United States but also by Britain, France, Japan, Russia, Australia, Canada and New Zealand may very well result in greater nuclear proliferation. “The new trend of selectivity for access to nuclear technology based on commercial interests has increased the possibility of proliferation,” said Sultan in an interview. More >>>

Any discriminatory waiver can push the region into a nuclear arms race

Islamabad March 22, 2011

Dr. Javed Laghari, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission and Patron-in-Charge of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute, said that any discriminatory waiver would only increase the asymmetry of fissile material stockpiles in South Asia, which not only goes against Pakistan’s security interest but could very easily push the region into a nuclear arms race which is neither desirable nor helpful. 

He was inaugurating the three-day International Conference 2011 on ‘Fissile Material Treaty (FMT): Possibility and Prospects’ organised by the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) here on Sunday night. Maria Sultan, director-general of SASSI, conducted the proceedings.

Dr. Laghari hoped that the conference would justify the need for consensus to start negotiations on FMT, which were central to international non-proliferation and arms disarmament measures and keeping the effectiveness of the Conference of Disarmament (CD) as the custodian of the multilateralism in international arms control negotiations. He said that the CD at this moment was facing a deadlock. He lamented that a new trend of selectivity based on commercial interests was developing which would increase the possibility of proliferation without the fear of costs.

He said this would result in the creation of a new category of nuclear weapon state outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which must not only be discouraged but also stopped because it was contradictory to the original bargain of the NPT, and a challenge to national security of member states as well as the international security. More >>>