India will not be source of proliferation: PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday that the country is prepared for the broadest engagement with the international non-proliferation regime, but only if its indigenous nuclear and strategic programme is not tethered to outside restrictions.

At an awards event on Tuesday morning, Singh said, “India is willing to shoulder its share of international obligations as a partner against proliferation, provided our legitimate interests are safeguarded.”

The country is “conscious of its responsibilities deriving from the possession of advanced technologies”, the PM said. “We have illustrated our commitments to these responsibilities, through our Parliament passing last week the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery System Prohibition of Unlawful Activities Bill.”

“India will not be, and I repeat, will not be a source of proliferation of sensitive technologies. We will adopt the most stringent measures to safeguard and secure the technologies that we possess, or those that we acquire through international collaboration,” the PM emphasised.

At the same time, he said the government sees no reasons for non-proliferation concerns to be a barrier to high-technology trade and commerce with the country.

“This Bill also highlights our unblemished non-proliferation record and our abiding commitment to non-proliferation principles. The strict regulation of external transfers and tight control to prevent internal leakages should give confidence to the international suppliers of high technology items that their supplies will remain fully secure with us.”

“In the defence field and the nuclear field, our strategic programmes are indigenous and not dependent on external sources of support. Nor can they be the subject of externally imposed constraints. Within these parameters, India is prepared for the broadest possible engagement with the international non-proliferation regime,” the PM said.