Pakistan says not bound by treaty on prohibition of nuclear weapons

Islamabad: Pakistan today said that it was not bound by the recently concluded treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons as it failed to take into account the interests of all stakeholders.

Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by a vote on July 7 did not fulfil these essential conditions both in terms of process and substance. It said Pakistan, therefore, like all the other nuclear armed states, did not take part in its negotiations and cannot become a party to to the treaty. Over 120 countries in the United Nations voted to adopt the first-ever global treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Eight other nuclear-armed nations, including the US and China did not participate in the negotiations for the legally binding instrument to prohibit atomic weapons.

"Treaties that do not fully take on board the interests of all stakeholders fail to achieve their objectives..Pakistan does not consider itself bound by any of the obligations enshrined in this treaty," it said. Pakistan stressed that the treaty neither forms a part of, nor contributes to the development of customary international law in any manner. Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear disarmament in a way that promotes peace, security and stability at the regional and global levels.

It said that it is committed to the goal of a nuclear weapons free world through the conclusion of a universal, verifiable and non-discriminatory, comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons. The Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament (CD), the world s single multilateral disarmament negotiating body, remains the most ideal forum for concluding such a convention.