ISLAMABAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Wednesday
reiterated its concerns over the United States-India civilian nuclear
cooperation deal, following the approval of a draft bill on the agreement by the
U.S. House of Representatives' International Relations Committee.
In response to a question about the approval of the
draft, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that Pakistan's
position, especially its concerns on the U.S.-India agreement, were well-known,
according to the official APP news agency.
"We have cautioned the international community about
the consequences of this agreement for the shared objectives of stability in
South Asia and a strong global non-proliferation regime," she said.
"We have already stated that the objective of
strategic stability in South Asia and the global non-proliferation regime would
have been better served if the United States had considered a package approach
for Pakistan and India, the two non-NPT Nuclear Weapons States, with a view to
preventing a nuclear arms race in the region and promoting restraints while
ensuring that the legitimate needs of both countries for civilian nuclear power
generation are met," she said.
The spokesperson stressed, "Pakistan does not accept
any discriminatory treatment."
"While we will continue to act with responsibility in
maintaining minimum credible deterrence and to avoid an arms race, we will
remain fully committed to our security requirements and the needs of our
economic development which demand growth in the energy sector including civilian
nuclear power generation," she added. Enditem