At Paris meet,Pak seeks parity with India to be n-powered

In a bid to seek parity with India by demanding similar exemptions that New Delhi got through the Indo-US nuclear deal....

In a bid to seek parity with India by demanding similar exemptions that New Delhi got through the Indo-US nuclear deal,Pakistan has asked the comity of nations for help on non-discriminatory basis saying it is a water-scarce and energy-starved country.

Deputy Chairman of the Pakistan Planning Commission Ishfaq Ahmad said at the International Conference on Access to Civil Nuclear Energy in Paris on Tuesday that his country planned to have nuclear power generation capacity of 8,800 MW by 2030,an increase from 3 per cent at present to 8 per cent in the future energy mix.

This is a very modest target as compared to the other countries in our region. While Pakistan possesses expertise and experience,the achievement of this target,nevertheless,necessitates international cooperation and assistance, said Ahmad underlining that Pakistan has a very fine record of compliance of safeguards and there had never been any complaint from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

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While Pakistan continues to seek parity with India,the two Asian nuclear powers presented contrasting images at a gathering of 62 countries in Paris.

While India sought to guide the comity of nations telling them to do more serious research in nuclear waste management and in developing proliferation-resistant fuel cycle,Pakistan sought to allay apprehensions of the international community about its adherence to safeguards obligations and asked for their help on non-discriminatory basis.

Pakistan s target of nuclear energy mix did look very modest as compared to Indian plans.

Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy Srikumar Banerjee,who represented India in the conference,had told The Indian Express on Monday that in the next 25 years India should be able to produce 40,000 MW of electricity from its five energy parks.

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Noting that Pakistan was deficient in oil and gas resources and had to rely on imports to meet its energy demands which ate up a major portion of its foreign exchange earnings,Ahmad said Pakistan always recognised that nuclear safety and security in the national and international context were vital objectives.

Pakistan s exhortation to international community for cooperation in nuclear energy sector was in sharp contrast to Indias assertion as a major player in this sector,which was quick to remind the international community that they should not see nuclear power as a permanent solution unless transition to closed nuclear fuel cycle was allowed.

With (the use of) thorium,it is possible that the whole world can sustain for several centuries, Banerjee had stated.

Talking to The Indian Express later,he had said uranium reserves as they were would last for merely 70-80 years unless reprocessing and recycling of the spent fuel was done.