Pakistan pushes US for nuclear technology deal

• Islamabad calls for energy pact akin to US-India agreement• Deal could persuade Pakistan to cut ties to jihadist groups

Saeed Shah in Islamabad
guardian.co.uk, Monday 22 March 2010 17.53 GMT
Pakistan wants the US to provide it with nuclear technology for a civilian energy programme and is to push the Obama administration this week for a deal.
Islamabad seeks a civilian nuclear deal to mirror the package granted to India by George Bush, a proposal that would prove contentious in Washington, given Pakistan's uneven record on combating extremist groups and its sale of nuclear technology to states hostile to the west, led by the former head of its programme, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
A spokesman for Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs, Abdul Basit, said today: "Pakistan is an energy-deficit country and we're looking for all sources, including nuclear, to meeting our requirements."
A team led by Pakistan's foreign minister that includes the country's army commander and spy chief is due to arrive in Washington on Wednesday for meetings with their US counterparts, including Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, in an effort to relaunch dialogue between the two allies. Afghanistan and help for Pakistan's near-bankrupt economy will also be on the agenda.
Many experts believe Pakistan holds the key to stabilising Afghanistan and it is trying to position itself as a sole conduit to talk to the Taliban.
The US meetings, are designed to restart talks that were last held in 2008.
Pakistan believes it has suffered from the violent fallout of US-led intervention in neighbouring Afghanistan and requires further assistance, despite a recent $7.5bn (£5bn) US aid injection.
A civilian nuclear deal, which would provide technology and fuel for power plants, could be the carrot required for Pakistan to finally cut its ties to jihad groups. A variety of incentives since 2001, including military equipment and civilian aid, have not worked, say experts.
Christine Fair, an assistant professor at Georgetown University in Washington, said: "We need a big idea for Pakistan, to transform it from a source of insecurity for the region to a country committed to eliminating terrorism and ensuring that nuclear proliferation doesn't happen again.
"We're trying to get Pakistan to do things that are in our strategic interests but not in theirs."
Pakistan craves a nuclear deal because it aspires to parity with India, say analysts.
It bristles with indignation over the perceived special treatment accorded to India, which it believes has upset the regional balance of power in South Asia.
Prof Shaun Gregory, director of the Pakistan security research unit at Bradford University, said: "Through the deal, India became a de facto member of the nuclear club and Pakistan doesn't understand why it wasn't offered the same thing. Pakistan has to position itself as an equal to India."
While Pakistan and India used to be bracketed together, Pakistan is now lumped in with Afghanistan under "Af-Pak", a diplomatic relegation, while India is lauded as a growing power.
Pakistan's past record of nuclear proliferation hangs over it, especially as its renegade scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, continues to make revelations about his secret arms sales. Khan was placed under house arrest in 2004 but has since been released.
David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector who is president of Institute for Science and International Security, an independent thinktank in Washington, said: "Pakistan has a chance (for a civil nuclear deal) but it has to overcome some pretty serious roads. If there was a trial of AQ Khan and he was jailed, that would help."
A US-Pakistan deal could take several years to hammer out. The US-India agreement has not been not finalised, more than five years after negotiations began.