Pak pitches for access to civil nuclear technology

Pakistan today strongly pitched for full access to civil nuclear technology to meet its acute energy shortage and said it does not want an arms race in South Asia.
Indirectly hinting at the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said international community should do away with discriminatory nuclear policy as it has harmed the world peace.
"Regrettably, nuclear policies dictated by politics and profits in the recent past are altering the strategic balance in our region," Sharif said addressing UN Disarmament Conference in New York.
Sharif sought Pakistan's inclusion in all export control regimes, including Nuclear Suppliers Group. He said energy deficit is one of the most serious crises facing Pakistan.

"We require energy from all sources - conventional and alternate. Pakistan qualifies to have full access to civil nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," he said.
Sharif stressed that Pakistan has the expertise, manpower and infrastructure to produce civil nuclear energy.

"As we revive our national economy, we look forward to international cooperation and assistance in nuclear energy under IAEA safeguards," he said.
Sharif said Pakistan's nuclear policy is guided by principles of restraint and responsibility.
He added Pakistan's approach towards nuclear disarmament is determined by the guiding principles of the First Special Session of the General Assembly on Disarmament, which upholds the right of each state to security and undiminished security at the lowest level of armaments and military force.

"This means security for all; not security of a privileged few. It was on my watch as Prime Minister in 1998 that Pakistan conducted nuclear tests.
"I can tell this Assembly that this decision was taken after much thought and deliberation. We were compelled to do so in response to the developments in our neighbourhood," he said.
Sharif added, "It was an existential choice we made for strategic stability in our region".
He said Pakistan does not want an arms race in South Asia, because consequences of conflict with nuclear weapons will be horrendous.
"Pakistan would continue to adhere to its policy of the Credible Minimum Deterrence, without entering into an arms race. At the same time, we are fully alive to the evolving security dynamics and would maintain deterrence to reinforce strategic stability in South Asia," he said.