India reconciles to China's N-commerce deal with Pak

NEW DELHI: While India will again express its concerns to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday over China's plans to set up more nuclear reactors in Pakistan, the government is now reconciled to the fact that Beijing is going to successfully 'grandfather' fresh reactors to its pre-Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) deals with Pakistan.

Top government sources confirmed reports that China was on the verge of finalising a deal with Pakistan for a 1-gigawatt nuclear plant, but added that it may not see the light of the day as early as Wen's visit to Pakistan later this week, as is being reported. Wen flies to Islamabad from India on Friday.

A senior government official said, China has officially conveyed to India that the new reactor will be subject to IAEA safeguards.

"There are conflicting reports about whether it will happen as early as his visit to Pakistan.

"It does seem though they are going ahead with the plan as they have conveyed to us it will be under IAEA safeguards," said the official on condition of anonymity.

The official said, India was more worried about what was happening at Khushab where Pakistan has intensified work on its third reactor, which has not been placed under IAEA safeguards.

Besides, this new 1-gigawatt reactor, which the two sides are negotiating, there are two 300-megawatt reactors that China is helping Pakistan build at Chashma. One of these is already functioning and the other is expected to be operational soon. China plans to build yet another reactor, taking the tally to four.

While New Delhi, perhaps, has no option but to watch helplessly at this stage, it had earlier, indeed, tried hard to prevent such a deal by urging smaller NSG nations like Austria, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland, among others, to take up the matter with Beijing.