Singh to Raise Fears about Terrorists Seizing Pak Nukes in Washington
At the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to make a strong pitch for commitments by individual countries and firm responses by world community against proliferation amid apprehensions about militants gaining access to nuclear material, said media reports.
Besides Singh, representatives of 46 other countries will also participate in discussions about mechanism to strengthen international initiatives to secure nuclear material and installations, said reports.
Ahead of his visit, the prime minister said that nuclear terrorism and proliferation of sensitive technologies are ‘legitimate concerns’ which require ‘firm responses’, reports said.
He emphasised the need for ‘highest standards of security’ in the nuclear field to reinforce public faith in the benefit of atomic science, said reports.
The Summit, an initiative of US President Barack Obama, is being organized amid heightened concerns and fears that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and material could fall into the hands of terrorists.
Singh is expected to refer to Pakistan in this context directly while National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao are likely to raise concerns regarding Pakistan at the official-level meetings, reports said.
In the summit, the prime minister is likely to pitch for firm response to the challenges of proliferation and possibility of terrorists gaining access to nuclear material, and he is expected to share India’s apprehensions about terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction, said reports.
During the official-level deliberations, India will raise concerns about the possibility of terrorists gaining access to nuclear material in Pakistan.
(Based on internet reports)
