No N-deal with Pakistan: US

Published December 19, 2006

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: The United States has no plans to offer a nuclear deal to Pakistan as the agreement President Bush signed on Monday was `unique to India’, says a senior US diplomat.

Under-secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, who played a key role in negotiating the deal, said that President Pervez Musharraf was not unhappy with the India deal, although some Pakistanis beneath him were.

“We've made clear all along that this is a unique deal to India only,” said Mr Burns when a reporter asked what it would take to offer Pakistan a similar deal. “This is an exemption ... we're making an exception for India only, and an exemption to the law for India only,” he said.

“India is a unique state. I mean, given the weight that India has, given the impact that India has on global warming, on air pollution because of its dependence on fossil fuel, from an environmental standpoint, an energy standpoint, this makes sense,” Mr Burns said.

He said the US wanted to free India of its dependence on Middle Eastern oil by offering it nuclear technology.—Correspondent

Opinion

Editorial

E-governance
Updated 10 Jan, 2025

E-governance

Wishing for a viable e-governance system seems like a pipe dream when stable internet connectivity is not guaranteed.
Khuzdar rampage
Updated 10 Jan, 2025

Khuzdar rampage

Authorities must explain how terrorists were able to commandeer the area for eight hours.
Beyond wheelchairs
10 Jan, 2025

Beyond wheelchairs

THE KP government’s Rs370m assistance programme for persons with disabilities is a positive step, not only in ...
Taking cover
Updated 09 Jan, 2025

Taking cover

IT is unfortunate that, instead of taking ownership of important decisions, our officials usually seem keener to ...
A living hell
09 Jan, 2025

A living hell

WHAT Donald Trump does domestically when he enters the White House in just under two weeks is frankly the American...
A right denied
09 Jan, 2025

A right denied

DESPITE citizens possessing the constitutional and legal right to access it, federal ministries are failing to...