While the Manmohan Singh government continues its tedious search for an understanding with the Left on the nuclear deal to start the next stage of negotiations, Pakistan has formally approached key members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group seeking an exception from its rules on the lines being suggested for India.
It?s learnt that Pakistan, in its letter to key members like US, Russia and several other countries in Europe, has conveyed that it is willing to make the same commitments as India in return for civilian nuclear cooperation.
This renewed effort comes as a follow-up to the assessment made by Pakistan?s National Command Authority ? its apex body on strategic policy matters ? on August 2, a day before the India-US 123 agreement was made public. In that meeting, Pakistan decided to pursue its goal for civilian nuclear cooperation on a ?priority basis? with the NSG and the IAEA.
The statement from this meeting too has been circulated to underline its assessment that the nuclear deal will allow India ?to produce significant quantities of fissile material and nuclear weapons from un-safeguarded nuclear reactors? which would adversely impact on ?strategic stability? in the region.
As reported earlier by The Indian Express, these efforts are in tandem with the Chinese approach to evolve a set of criteria on the basis of which countries outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty can be evaluated and then cleared for civilian nuclear cooperation.
However, the momentum is currently in India?s favour as it prepares for its regular interface with the NSG troika ? Brazil, South Africa and Germany ? in Vienna on the margins of the IAEA General Assembly.
As of now, sources said, there has been a significant improvement in the number of countries from among the NSG that support India?s case. The four Nuclear Weapon States, barring China, are expected to be most vocal in supporting an exemption for India while several others have indicated that they will not come in the way.
Broadly, China remains the only country whose position is uncertain. Given that NSG takes decisions by consensus, Beijing can hold up matters but that is bound to severely damage its image in India.