Nerve Endings Firing Away

The United States House of Representatives passed HR 5682 that reinforced the India and United States partnership on nuclear energy. The resolution now goes to the Senate before ending up on Bush’s table for the final approval. The voting for the bill was clearly bipartisan as Republicans voted overwhelmingly in favor and Democrats against.

I have been baffled by Pakistan’s demands to barter a similar deal and apart from its half-hearted attempts at assisting US in the war on terror, has done nothing to inspire confidence of being a responsible nuclear power. In fact, its chief scientist was famously caught profilerating nuclear weapons to rouge states like North Korea and Iran. Even after such a widely publicized scandal, I don’t understand how Pakistan demands to be treated like India. They have to stop comparing themselves to India and probably eke out an identity separate from India if wish to remain relevant.

Congressman Gary Akerman rightly rebuked them and said, “if you want to be treated like India, be like India.”

What do you tell Pakistan and Iran and North Korea? Well, you tell them this: If you want to be treated like India, be like India. Be a responsible international actor with regard to weapons of mass destruction technologies. Don’t sell your nuclear technologies to the highest bidder. Don’t provide it to terrorists. Be a democracy — a real democracy like India and work with us on important foreign policy objectives and not against us.

For all our failings and stumbling efforts at governing, we still remain an accountable democracy that has largely been a responsible nuclear power. Let Pakistan understand this simple reality.