Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that the government's "active and successful foreign policy" has blocked India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
He added that New Delhi would not be able to join the group alone. "We have been successful in preventing India from gaining access to the NSG and I am hopeful that whenever it happens, we will both join it together and India will not be able to join the NSG alone," the Dawn quoted Aziz as saying on Monday during a debate in the Senate on an adjournment motion regarding the agreement signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan for development of the Chabahar Port.
He also said that he had recently approached many countries, including Russia, Mexico, South Korea and New Zealand, to gain their support on Islamabad's viewpoint that there should be a criteria-based approach while deciding about inclusion of any country into the NSG.
Read: Pak seeks Austria, Turkey support for NSG membership
On Sunday, Aziz had said that his country has ‘stronger credentials’ than India for a membership to the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) if they decide to form a uniform criteria for non-NPT states.
"If the group forms such a uniform criteria, then Pakistan has stronger credentials for NSG membership than India," said the top minister in an exclusive interview to Dawn.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi building up more support for India's NSG bid, an alarmed Pakistan has been lobbying hard to ensure that India is not allowed into the exclusive nuclear group.
Aziz had said the US has formed a policy to 'build up India' as "their entire attention is towards containing the Islamic world and China".
The US has been pushing for India's NSG membership while China has been reportedly backing Pakistan's bid to join the nuclear trading club.
India, though not a member, enjoys the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules for its atomic cooperation deal with the US.
The NSG looks after critical issues relating to nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology. The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one nation's vote against a country could scuttle its bid.
