EDITORIAL: Relations with Pakistan

[sonicboom]

EDITORIAL: Relations with Pakistan

2011/02/25


Along with neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistan is a country at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. It is also a country that armed itself with nuclear weapons without joining the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and one that greatly affects global security.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visited Japan and agreed with Prime Minister Naoto Kan to strengthen trade and investment activities between the two countries.

Afghan anti-government Islamic forces are based and active along the border area with Pakistan. The stability of Pakistan is also indispensable for the smooth implementation of the U.S. Afghan strategy to transfer security authority to Afghanistan by 2014.

But the actual situation is far from stable. Pakistan's economy, which has continued to struggle since the 2008 financial crisis, suffered additional damage from a major flood that hit last summer. Acts of terrorism by domestic Islamic radicals keep occurring, and the security situation continues to deteriorate.

During his meeting with Kan, Zardari expressed his determination to eradicate poverty, an underlying cause of terrorism. The Japanese side conveyed its intention to support the building of infrastructure and economic reform.

However, there is also strong criticism against Pakistan that a vast amount of aid provided by international society is not being used for intended purposes but has instead promoted corruption. Proper implementation of aid needs to be strictly examined.

Pakistan's nuclear capability also poses a problem. Recently, The New York Times reported analyses by U.S. intelligence organizations and others that Pakistan has increased the number of nuclear weapons under deployment from the 60-90 range to 95 to 110 and produced additional weapons-grade nuclear material in the last two years that could make between 40 and 100 nuclear weapons.

Some observers even expect Pakistan to soon surpass Britain and become the fifth-largest nuclear power after the United States, Russia, China and France. Although the Pakistan side denies such reports, the actual situation remains hidden.

Zardari urged Kan to enter negotiations for an atomic power cooperation agreement. The Pakistani leader was wary of negotiations toward a similar agreement between Japan and India, which became a nuclear power without joining the NPT.

Behind the move are concerns that India might divert extra energy from increased cooperation with Japan to the development of nuclear weapons.

Of course, Japan must not conclude an agreement with Pakistan, whose management of nuclear-related technology and substances remains questionable. However, our fears have become reality: Japan's negotiations for an agreement with India have prompted Pakistan to make similar demands.

It is indispensable to prevent a nuclear arms race in South Asia while advancing nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation diplomacy in all of Asia, including China.

Japan should require the suspension of nuclear tests in negotiations for an agreement with India, and use it as a basis to seek a new path for nuclear armament management in Asia.

For that to happen, improved India-Pakistan relations are indispensable. This month, the two countries agreed to resume dialogue for the first time in two years. Japan should get together with the United States to strongly press the two countries to improve their bilateral relations.

Beyond such diplomacy aimed at confidence-building, we can find a clue for the resumption of negotiations for the proposed fissile material cut-off treaty that have been stalled mainly due to opposition by Pakistan.

asahi.com