India's addition to NSG will escalate nuke race in South Asia: US senator

Ed Markey, a key US Senator, has said that enabling India to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) would cause a 'never-ending' nuclear race in South Asia.

"What you are doing is creating an action-reaction that is leading to a never-ending escalation cycle that ultimately leads to development of nuclear weapons including battlefield nuclear weapons," Dawn quoted Senator Markey as saying to US Assistant Secretary for South Asia Nisha Biswal.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group, a multinational body, seeks to reduce nuclear proliferation by monitoring the export, re-transfer and protection of sensitive materials.

Speaking at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the US-India relations on Tuesday, Markey reminded Biswal that the Obama administration's policy of helping India join the Nuclear Suppliers Group was unnecessary and dangerous.

"Making these exemptions further infuriates Pakistan into further expanding its nuclear capacity. It is a very dangerous long-term trend, especially when we are so concerned on the spectre of nuclear weapons falling in the hands of non-state actors," he added.

During the talks, Markey noted, "If India gained the membership of NSG then it would be the only participating government that was not a member of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). Despite lack of consensus in the NSG on India's membership, the Obama administration is forcefully pressing for a vote in the coming months."

He said that Washington had repeatedly carved out exemptions for India starting with the sale of uranium in 1980.

"Today we are not only granting India an exemption from global non-proliferation rules but instead we are working to include India in the body that decides on those rules," he said.

Meanwhile, Biswal said that President Obama had reaffirmed that India met the criteria and was ready to join the NSG and that it has also harmonised its export control adhering to the group's guidelines.

Markey, however, disagreed pointing out that New Delhi was not in compliance of the membership rules.

Biswal said that she would consult with her colleagues for more technical response.

Markey noted that since 2008, India has continued to produce fissile material for its nuclear weapons program 'virtually unchecked.