Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood has emphasized the need for an evenhanded approach for the credibility of any non-proliferation regime, saying that discrimination and deviation from established non-proliferation standards should come to an end.

He stated this while speaking at the inauguration of Arms Control and Disarmament Center (ACDC) at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). The foreign secretary stated that the international security environment is in a state of flux with profound and far-reaching changes underway. He said strategic stability is being negatively affected at the global and regional levels, adding that the longstanding and painfully negotiated arms control and non-proliferation agreements are unraveling.

He said there is an ongoing erosion of multilateralism and growing polarization in the field of international security and disarmament and the concept of strategic stability is being challenged by newer notions like 'strategic competition' and 'strategic dominance.'

"It is important for our researchers to assess the full significance of these developments and their potential impact, especially with regard to the security situation in South Asia", he said. The foreign secretary stated that strategic stability in South Asia is being undermined due to significant developments in Pakistan's neighborhood. These include the massive build-up of nuclear and conventional forces by India, acquisition and introduction of new destabilizing capabilities, and nuclearization of the Indian Ocean, he added.

"War-fighting capabilities have been demonstrated in Outer Space, thus threatening its sustainability. Anti-ballistic missiles have been introduced", he said, adding that there has been a constant increase in the readiness, sophistication and diversification of all types of delivery systems and platforms.

"The flawed notion of establishment of a 'new normal' and fantasies of 'punishing Pakistan' while remaining below the threshold of a nuclear conflict demonstrate irresponsible and reckless behaviour by a state which seeks to divert attention from its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and repression of the Kashmiri people", he added.

The foreign secretary pointed out that the world saw a demonstration of this belligerent military posture earlier this year, when in the wake of the Pulwama incident in Occupied Kashmir, there was an attempt to resort to aggression against Pakistan on a completely false pretence.

While responding effectively in self-defense, he pointed out, Pakistan exhibited restraint and responsibility. However, it is not always possible to predict the trajectory of escalation in similar situations and Pakistan cannot be expected to one-sidedly pick up the burden for maintaining peace all the times, he added.

He said the BJP govt's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 Aug to change the internationally-recognized disputed status of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and alter its demographic structure - in flagrant violation of the Security Council resolutions, UN Charter and bilateral agreements - have engendered further volatility in South Asia.

He said the irresponsible statements made by senior members of the BJP government, including on nuclear issues and threats of dismemberment, leave little doubt about the reckless mindset at work. They also illustrate the serious perils for peace that stem from the inter#tsection of an extremist ideology and hegemonic ambitions, he added.

He asserted that Pakistan desires peace and strategic stability in the region. "Our desire for peace should not, however, be mistaken as a weakness. Let there be no doubt about Pakistan's will and capability to defend itself against any kind of aggression", he added. He said Pakistan remains open to consideration of measures for crisis management, risk reduction, transparency and confidence-building.

"Peace and stability in South Asia cannot be achieved without resolving the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions; without agreeing on reciprocal measures for nuclear and missile restraint; and without instituting a balance between conventional forces", he further stated. He said Pakistan's proposal for a Strategic Restraint Regime in South Asia, based on these three inter-locking elements, remains on the table.

At the global level, he said Pakistan continues to actively support and contribute towards non-proliferation instruments and arrangements. For medium and small-sized countries, he added that the best guarantee for peace and stability and against any arbitrary actions by bigger powers remains a strong non-discriminatory rule-based global order.

"It is, therefore, in our interest to strengthen the non-proliferation regime", the foreign secretary said. However, for the credibility of this regime it is essential to ensure evenhanded approaches in terms of application of rules and access to dual-use technologies for peaceful uses, he emphasized. He said discrimination and deviations from established non-proliferation standards, based on political and commercial considerations, should be done away with. "We are witness to the negative impact of the 2008 India-specific NSG exemption for the non-proliferation regime as well as its repercussions for regional stability", he pointed out.

Mohammad Kamran Akhtar, DG Arms Control and Disarmament Division (ACDIS); Brig Zahir Kazmi, Director General Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs (ACDA), Strategic Plans Division (SPD), and Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi, Permanent Representative-designate of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva also spoke on the occasion.

Commencing the event, Director ACDC Malik Qasim Mustafa said despite rapidly changing international security environment, Pakistan, as always, still supports international arms control and disarmament instruments consistent with its national interest and is committed to promoting regional peace and strategic stability.

DG ISSI Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that nuclear deterrence is of immense importance for Pakistan, especially given the ever-present threat from the eastern front. He emphasized that the idea behind creating the ACDC was to redeploy the existing human resource in ISSI to gain more from less through focused quality research. The end goal is to build a positive narrative about Pakistan, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019