Associated Press

New Delhi, July 21:

The former prime minister who guided India through nuclear weapon tests said his country has given away more than it gained in a deal with the United States aimed at securing more nuclear power technology. Former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee slammed his successor’s agreement on Monday to separate India’s civilian and military nuclear programmes, open its facilities to scrutiny and prevent the spread of weapons technology in exchange for US President George W Bush’s help in convincing the US Congress to share civilian nuclear technology. “We believe that separating the civilian from the military would be very difficult, if not impossible. The costs involved will also be prohibitive. It will also deny us any flexibility in determining the size of our nuclear deterrent,” Vajpayee said in a statement yesterday.

In Washington, current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shrugged off Vajpayee’s remarks. “If that statement has been made, it is based on misconceptions,” Singh told reporters. “The separation between civilian and strategic components of the programme is a national decision.” Singh left Washington today and was scheduled to reach New Delhi tomorrow.

Pak terror elements worry Manmohan

Washington: Talking to the editors of Washington Post, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said while India will work with President Pervez Musharraf, it has to contend with “the role that terrorist elements have played” in that country in recent years. When asked if the US should offer Pakistan a similar nuclear deal as it did India, he said, “Well, that’s a decision the US has to make, but quite frankly, the state of Pakistan currently — I wish President Musharraf well, we want to work with him.” — HNS