Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi said on Tuesday that the nation had been fulfilling its nuclear non-proliferation responsibilities.
Pakistan made a strong case for the country’s membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group, a 48-nation body that regulates global trade in nuclear technology, Lodhi informed the UN Security Council about the exemplary measures Islamabad had taken to strengthen nuclear safety and cement its NSG eligibility credentials.“We expect that a non-discriminatory, criteria-based approach is followed for extending NSG membership which strengthens the non-proliferation regime,” Lodhi said. She further added that Pakistan had implemented a comprehensive export control regime, participated in the Nuclear Security Summit process, ratified the 2005 amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, placed a unilateral moratorium on further nuclear testing and reiterated its willingness to translate it into a bilateral arrangement on non-testing with India — all of which established its eligibility to become a NSG member.
In her remarks, the Pakistani envoy also said the global disarmament landscape presented a gloomy picture due to lack of progress by states with nuclear weapons in fulfilling disarmament obligations. “As disarmament and non-proliferation were linked, it was unrealistic to expect progress on one without movement on the other.”
“A challenge to non-proliferation norms was the granting of discriminatory waivers, special arrangements which denoted double standards and opened the possibility of diverting material intended for peaceful use to military purposes,” Lodhi told the 15-member council.
