India, Pakistan and Nuclear Confidence
A water vapour plume from a cooling tower vent at Khushab and the discharge of hot water at Trombay prove that Pakistan and India are producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. Easily available satellite images should be used to make them stop proliferation in South Asia.
Control of the production and use of fissile materials is central to non-proliferation. The main international controls on fissile materials are embodied in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The treaty requires all member states (except the five chartered nuclear weapon states, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China) to pledge not to manufacture or acquire nuclear weapons and accept "full-scope" International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Unfortunately, three de facto nuclear states, Israel, India and Pakistan, have not yet signed the NPT and are believed to be continuing the production of fissile materials for weapons.
The recently concluded 2000 NPT Review Conference urged India and Pakistan to do the following: accede to the NPT and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT): to maintain the moratorium on testing; observe a moratorium on fissile material production for weapons; and strengthen their non-proliferation export control measures. In a bid to blunt international criticism in the aftermath of their nuclear tests in 1998, both countries have reaffirmed that they will maintain their testing moratorium until the CTBT enters into force. However, recently obtained commercial satellite imagery reveals that both countries are still operating their nuclear facilities and adding to their stocks of fissile materials besides engaging in a missile race. Since the hostility between the two countries magnifies the implications of a regional nuclear race, effective measures at the international level are imperative if this race is to be halted. It is necessary in the first instance to persuade both countries to freeze production of weapon-usable nuclear materials. As a concomitant, the international community needs to create a favorable political environment for arresting nuclear proliferation. This includes resuming the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) negotiation and devaluing nuclear weapons possession.