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India to appraise Thailand of regional security scenario

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

India has collected sufficient details to appraise Thailand of the considerably endangered security scenario in South Asia in the wake of Pakistan's naked resort to nuclear and missile muscle-flexing, senior ministry of external affairs officials said.

They told Rediff On The NeT that India was ready to appraise Thailand of details of the regional security situation during the meeting on Friday, June 5, between the Thai foreign minister and the Indian ambassador to Thailand. The Thai foreign minister has summoned the ambassadors of both India and Pakistan to convey his country's concern following the virtual nuclear face-off between the two South Asian neighbours.

The MEA officials pointed out that following the nuclear tests conducted by both New Delhi and Islamabad, the Thai foreign ministry had noted that there was real danger of an arms race in the region and the spectre of a nuclear conflict haunted all the countries in South Asia.

However, the Indian ambassador would emphasise that New Delhi's nuclear tests had no aggressive designs, but that it had enabled it to discourage any misadventure by hostile forces in the region. The Indian ambassador would also underscore that the Pakistani nuclear tests, which followed the Indian ones, could not be interpreted as having been provoked by the Indian tests. This was because the process for perfecting the detonation of a nuclear device could not be achieved in a short time but it was the result of a long process.

It is understood that the Indian ambassador to Thailand is armed with other pertinent and relevant details regarding the matter. This included the clandestine nuclear and missile nexus between Beijing and Islamabad and the ignorance displayed by the Western nations, especially the US, about the China-Pakistan connection. It was pointed out that the announcement by a foreign ministry official in Beijing, that China would be constrained to embark on nuclear tests again if New Delhi and Islamabad did not stop the nuclear arms race, would be conveyed to the Thai foreign ministry by the Indian ambassador.

It is learnt that stress will also be laid on India's peaceful intentions by the moratorium declared by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on further nuclear tests by India. It will also be pointed out that New Delhi was not deterred in its resolve to continue the moratorium even after Pakistan conducted its sixth nuclear test.

The Thai foreign ministry's attention will be drawn to the evidently aggressive overtones of the Pakistani leaders who have been claiming that the second test-firing of Islamabad's intermediate range ballistic missile Ghauri will be conducted within a week. Already, Pakistan Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan has claimed that Ghauri's second test-firing will involve nuclear tipping.

This, the MEA officials said, had ominous repercussions on India's security, and New Delhi would be leaving no security aspect to chance. However, India was keen to have friendly and co-operative relations with both China and Pakistan for which New Delhi was striving, the Thai foreign ministry would be told, the officials added.

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