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Defense sources say China's hand is evident in Pak tests

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The five nuclear tests by Pakistan clearly point to Sino-Pak strategic co-operation, top officials at the defence ministry said.

"It is quite apparent that the kits for the tests pertaining to nuclear devices were made available by China much earlier, sometime in mid-1995," they said.

The officials pointed out that Pakistan Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed's visit to Beijing immediately after the Pokhran II tests was evidently to get the Chinese approval for conducting tests. The latest reports from Beijing indicated that there had been sharp difference between the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army, with the latter strongly urging to permit Pakistan to go ahead with tests.

"Islamabad's tests indicate that the PLA succeeded over the CCP," officials said.

The tests also vindicate India's stand that the existing nuclear powers were allowing selective proliferation to pursue strategic objectives.

In this backdrop, the officials emphasised, both the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty were ineffective in stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.

The ministry of external affairs, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the tests confirmed what had been known all along -- that Islamabad has been in possession of nuclear weapons.

The statement said that this justifies ''our assessment and policy'' and ''the measures that have been taken.''

"We expect that those who disagreed with us will reassess their stand. The government has taken all steps necessary for safeguarding the nation's security,'' it said.

The statement was issued after an informal meeting of senior ministers, presided over by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Those present included Home Minister L K Advani, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, Defence Minister George Fernandes, and Pramod Mahajan, the PM's political adviser, besides senior defence and external affairs ministry officials.

Meanwhile, other officials in the South Block said that the Pakistani explosions would be seem as the achievement of the Islamic world.

Additional reportage: UNI

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