ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood on Tuesday said that Pakistan supports a strong rule-based, equitable and non-discriminatory international arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament regime, premised on the principle of equal security for all states.
In his closing remarks to conference on “Promoting Strategic Trade Controls through International Cooperation”, he said that Pakistan shares the global concern regarding the threat posed to international peace and security by the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).
“We support a strong rule-based, equitable and non-discriminatory international arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament regime, premised on the principle of equal security for all states. Such a regime is imperative for the maintenance of international peace and stability,” he said.
He said that Pakistan has put in place extensive legislative, regulatory and administrative frameworks for exercising effective controls over transfers of sensitive goods and technologies to prevent their diversion to non-peaceful uses.
While adhering to international export control standards and best practices, he added that Pakistan strongly maintains that efforts for regulating international trade in dual-use technologies should not hamper free and equitable access to such technologies for legitimate socioeconomic applications.
“An inclusive, non-discriminatory and principle-based approach will serve the multilateral export control regimes as platforms of greater cooperation for trade development and regional prosperity, without compromising their non-proliferation objectives with greater legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness,” he said.
On the other hand, he added that policies of discrimination and exceptionalism are detrimental to the non-proliferation objectives and credibility of the export control regimes. The 2008 country-specific exemption by the NSG for transfers of nuclear technology not only harmed the cause of nuclear non-proliferation but also undermined strategic stability in South Asia, he added.
He said that multilateral export control regimes must facilitate access to modern technologies for the economic progress of developing countries. “There is a need to make the membership of the regimes more representative. Such a transformation is warranted by the advent of new technologies like Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), 3D printing, AI, biotechnologies, quantum computing, and lethal autonomous weapon systems,” he said.
He said that these technologies are all pervasive and no longer the preserve of a few supplier states. “A truly effective regime will necessitate the participation of all the interested stakeholders, including emerging economies which are making great strides in these new and emerging technologies,” he added.
Given the extensive applications of these technologies in mitigating the global challenges of climate change, public health, water, energy and food security, he said that access to these technologies should not be denied based on political considerations.
The foreign secretary said that the UN recognizes science and technology as one of the key enablers for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the need for international scientific and technological cooperation in an increasingly interconnected global community, he said.
“Given Pakistan’s thriving S&T landscape, with extensive expertise, experience and technological capabilities in ICTs, biotechnologies and nuclear applications, it clearly qualifies for participation in the existing multilateral export control regimes,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s participation in these regimes will further the non-proliferation objectives of these regimes.
He also stated that Pakistan will welcome non-discriminatory criteria for membership of these control regimes, provided these criteria are applied on the basis of fairness and impartiality.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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