US rules out nuclear deal with Pakistan

The US on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of entering into a civil nuclear deal with Pakistan, rejecting apparent demands by China in this regard.

"I don't think there is one," US Ambassador to India David C Mulford told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the possibility of Washington having a civil nuclear deal with Islamabad on the lines of the Indo-US agreement.

Ever since negotiations started on the Indo-US nuclear deal in July 2005, Pakistan has been pleading for a similar agreement citing parity with India.

China has lately started taking up Pakistan's case in a veiled manner.

At the meeting of Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna last week to consider waiver for India, a Chinese representative had said the 45-nation grouping should address similar "aspirations" of other countries too.

Though Mulford did not elaborate, the US feels that Pakistan cannot be treated on par with India in the civil nuclear field considering its bad track record in this area.

Pakistan is known to be a source of nuclear proliferation, with even its former chief scientist A Q Khan accused of selling nuclear secrets to Iran and North Korea.

To a question on China's negative role at the NSG, Mulford refused to comment, merely saying "In the end, they did the right thing".

China, which had assured India that it will not create problems for the waiver at NSG, had tried to block the initiative during the grouping's meeting in Vienna last week before coming around on the issue.