'Obstructionist' China will find it difficult to foil India's NSG bid: Defence Expert

Defence expert Major General (Retd.) P.K. Sehgal on Monday said Pakistan's assertion that China acted upon its principled stance in opposing India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is an attempt to save the blushes, adding Beijing will find it very difficult to be obstructionist in the same manner that it has been at present in the next meeting.

Major General (Retd.) Sehgal said Pakistan is trying to say exactly the same thing what China said.

"China supported Pakistan to the hilt and now in its own term Pakistan is trying to support China to the hilt. Both know fully well that the entire world was unitedly standing behind India and China was on the wrong foot forward," Major General (Retd.) Sehgal told ANI.

"And now to save the blushes as far as China is concerned, the Pakistan Foreign Secretary is making such a statement," he added.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry has in an interview with state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) said that regarding India's bid to NSG membership, China along with other countries supported the principled stance that it would be a bad precedent if New Delhi was granted membership without signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Dawn reports.

Major General (Retd.) Sehgal, however, appeared to be in tune with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) contention that the government's inability to clinch the NSG membership was not a failure of diplomacy.

"I totally tend to agree much that the opposition parties may not like to agree with me. India made a great effort, all major powers across the globe whether it was America, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Canada stood behind very solidly behind India. The Chinese attitude was absolutely obstructionist...Despite China's opposition; China did not want this issue to be discussed at all," Major General (Retd.) Sehgal said.

"This meeting has not come to an end. In November-December, it is going to be taken up afresh and I am very certain this time China will find it very difficult to be obstructionist in the same manner that it has been at present. And India in the meantime has stated that they will try their level best to woo China and explain China the reasonableness behind India's stance," he added.

MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup earlier in the day said the the Indian diplomacy doesn't have fear of failure.

"If we don't get desired results it only means that we redouble our efforts," Swarup said.

"There are some processes which take longer, I would evaluate the NSG membership process in that category," he added.

Accusing the present Modi Government of indulging in 'public tamashas', the Congress Party earlier dubbed the BJP-led NDA government as 'desperate', saying this kind of hectic campaigning was not required for entry into the elite NSG.

"It is an embarrassment for India to do what was not required. When there are no obstacles when it comes to nuclear trade with the NSG countries, it was unnecessary. We do not know why India showed its desperation and allowed India to be equated with Pakistan on the issue of NSG membership," Congress leader Anand Sharma told ANI.

The NSG will meet yet again this year to discuss the process of inclusion of countries like India, who have not signed the NPT.

A special plenary session of the NSG can be called by the year end.

According to sources, there is possibility of India's inclusion in the NSG, while New Delhi will continue to discuss the issue with China.

The NSG earlier on Thursday failed to reach a consensus on New Delhi's membership application after several members of the 48-member group insisted on adhering to NPT conditions for admission.