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'I don't see America reversing these sanctions very quickly'

S K Singh

If what happened this week had happened before 1967, we would have a place as a nuclear weapon power under the Non Proliferation Treaty. If had happened before 1994 -- before the Glenn Amendment, a domestic law, mind you -- the Americans could not have put across these sanctions. If it had happened before 1995, the whole thing would have been less dramatic for the global conscience.

However, it has happened now. For the simple reason that Pakistan and China more or less challenged us. They were together. We were pressurised. The rest of the world was pleased that we were showing restraint.

Right from Pandit Nehru's time we have always believed in disarmament. Disarmament is one thing and arms control is another thing. The Western governments -- the developed countries who are signatories to the NPT -- have always insisted on arms control. They don't believe in disarmament. We have made a serious effort to move towards disarmament. That means everyone gives up nuclear/ chemical/ biological weapons.

We have only one demand. Let everyone give up and we will give up. Banish the nuclear genie. But they have more or less insisted that they must keep it and France must keep it but we must not.

During Rajiv Gandhi's time when we had pushed for total disarmament they had more or less rejected this by implication. They have not answered us fully. We kept saying and they kept ignoring. This finally got us into a very strange predicament. Everybody was moving in the direction of a situation where more missiles were being manufactured. We have done exactly as others do. And we have proved this. We signed the Chemical Weapons Treaty very gladly because it was a totally non-discriminating thing. We wanted the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to be a totally non-discriminating thing too. But this is not happening.

Pakistan and China have come together in a dangerous manner. We are apprehensive. Our legal space is vanishing in front of our eyes. If we had delayed any longer we would be more blameworthy in the eyes of others.

Our diplomats have the task now of explaining that we are not challenging anyone. India has not broken any international legal commitment. We have not violated any treaty or agreement. A lot of our people are talking in a lot of countries. They are explaining our point of view. That's all that we can do.

What about international isolation? Isolation is like love. It is as much as you feel inside yourself.

I don't see America reversing these sanctions very quickly. But they will keep dealing with us through trade. They are not our enemies. They have a different view of the world and we have a different view of the world. We are surrounded by nuclear weapon producing states and by the Indian Ocean. Nobody else can look after our security. We have tried to deal with this situation with patience and restraint and it has not worked.

Should we have done more hard talking? No. Harsh words do not break bones. We had to have an understanding of your capability. I have never believed that our weapons are going to be used. These weapons are just deterrents.

Were our diplomats informed before hand? I think not. After forty years in the service I should doubt that. No country informs its diplomats before hand. But I think knowing the BJP's stand our diplomats would have had a shrewd idea of what is happening. The Americans should have an idea too.

The question of India signing the CTBT is very complicated and it involves various legalities and details of technology. But I think, after some alterations on a few points of the treaty, India would be far more amenable now to signing the CTBT.

Former foreign secretary Shailendra K Singh, a former Indian ambassador to Pakistan, spoke to Vaihayasi P Daniel.

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