Diplomatic efforts prevented India from gaining NSG entry: Aziz

TIL Desk/World/Islamabad-Pakistan’s intensive diplomatic lobbying, including letters written by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his 17 counterparts, prevented India from gaining entry into the Nuclear Supplier Group, the country’s top diplomat claimed today. Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that hectic diplomatic efforts were made to inform the world leaders about Pakistan’s position on the NSG entry.

“Prime Minister Sharif personally wrote letters to 17 prime ministers of different countries on the matter, which is on record,” Aziz said told journalists here. The NSG meeting last week failed to achieve consensus over the entry of India as some countries including China objected that the being non-proliferation treaty signatory, India was not eligible for the membership.

Pakistan has been trumpeting it as success but it at the same time it was seldom mentioned here what happened to its own application for the membership. Pakistan tried to sell the idea that a criteria-based non-discriminatory approach was needed to admit new members. India and Pakistan are the two non-NPT states aspiring for the membership of the 48-member nuclear grouping.