'Friends' will help Pakistan with nuclear technology: Aziz
Nov 19, 2006 - 6:51:56 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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China has designed, financed and built the strategic Gwadar port and naval base.
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By Indo Asian News Service,
[RxPG] Islamabad, Nov 19 (IANS) With Chinese President Hu Jintao due here next week, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that his country would continue to expand its civilian nuclear programme with the help of 'friends' to meet its growing energy needs.
Without directly naming China, Aziz indicated that Pakistan would get new nuclear reactors for power generation from its 'friends'. Pakistan is setting up nuclear reactors with the help of its 'friends' and will continue the process, he said.
'Pakistan will take measures to meet its nuclear energy needs and it knows how to defend its national interests,' he was quoted by The Daily Times.
On the India-US civilian nuclear deal that received overwhelming support in the US Senate this week, he said every country had the right to make deals with anyone to fulfil its needs.
He, however, added that Pakistan wanted a 'level playing field', indicating that the country should be treated 'equally'.
Aziz told mediapersons that Pakistan had 'genuine reasons' for expanding its civilian nuclear programme and will take every possible step to meet its growing energy needs.
Hu is coming here next week from India on a much-awaited visit that would see the signing of a number of agreements.
Pakistan has lobbied heavily for a civilian nuclear deal with Belgium, Hungary and Britain, whose dignitaries it hosted in the last few weeks, but media reports have indicated that they were non-committal.
The Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) that controls the flow of nuclear technology globally has indicated that it would not allow nuclear technology to Pakistan in the present circumstances.
Since the US President George W. Bush proposed the Indo-US deal last year, but denied the same to Pakistan, the latter has been on the lookout for a similar deal with its close ally China.
President Pervez Musharraf visited Beijing this year and made a pitch for a nuclear deal.
The US and the NSG have rejected Pakistani stand of being treated 'on par' with India, pointing out that while India had a fine track record, Pakistan had been caught proliferating nuclear designs, know-how and spares.
However, the proposed visit of the Chinese president to the strategic Gwadar area in Balochistan has been cancelled due to the separatist movement and unsettled political conditions, particularly after the killing by the Pakistan Army of Akbar Bugti, the powerful tribal leader of the province.
This is the second time the visit of a Chinese dignitary to the region has been called off.
China has designed, financed and built the strategic Gwadar port and naval base.
Separatists opposed to Chinese-led development in the area have killed their engineers and attacked their installations. It was opened by Musharraf earlier this year.
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