ISLAMABAD: The lame-duck US administration has decided to employ its full weight for securing India’s membership for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The US President Barack Obama is likely to approach the leaders of the countries which are opposed to membership of the NSG without the fulfillment of criteria and are trying to block India in the prestigious club, to muster their support for Indian membership.
Highly placed diplomatic sources revealed to The News on Saturday evening that Pakistan applied for membership at the eleventh hour on May 18 last, which was the deadline for applying for membership.
The work was done so secretly that none could even get a clue of Pakistan’s plan. It turned up a big surprise for Washington and the US administration was flabbergasted to see Islamabad’s move.
The US administration wasn’t only surprised, but it also felt offended about it as it had successfully scuttled the Indian entry to the group without any resistance.
Washington construed it as a ‘subversive’ act of Pakistan for its plan regarding Indian membership.
Interestingly, the move was hatched by the civilian and military leadership with consensus after lengthy deliberations and brainstorming sessions.
The US authorities also considered it their diplomatic intelligence failure since it has the biggest diplomatic contingent present in Pakistan.
The sources said the US displeasure was conveyed to the high-ups here through established channels that Pakistan swiftly ignored without offering any comment.
“Had Pakistan not applied for the membership, India would have become a member of the NSG in its last week’s extraordinary meeting held in Washington.
The visiting Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi could return New Delhi victorious carrying the membership card in his hands.
The matter has been deferred to the Seoul meeting to be held in a fortnight. The US administration has written a letter and consigned its Secretary of State John Kerry to various capitals for seeking their support for India that compelled to establish the group in order to check Indias sinister designs way back in 70’s of the last century.
Now the countries including the United States that wanted to keep India out of the group are desperately working for India’s inclusion because it suits their China containment policy.
The sources pointed out that Pakistan’s quiet diplomacy has worked well and it would be a difficult proposition for the member countries to give India membership by ignoring Pakistan’s plea for the same as Pakistan does fulfill the criteria.
The United States is using every trick under its sleeves for obtaining India’s entry and President Obama may make phone calls to the leaders of Turkey, Switzerland, New Zealand, South Africa and countries which are reluctant to support India’s case, the sources added.
To a query, the sources are of the view that chances of getting membership for India haven’t improved any further despite the recent hectic efforts of the US, India and their like-minded capitals. “It is still fifty-fifty,” they maintained.http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/127311-Pakistan-scuttles-Indian-entry-into-NSG
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