Abstract:
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is seized with
membership applications of India and Pakistan. It is the first
time in the history of the NSG that two non-State Parties to the
Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and
nuclear armed neighbours, are simultaneously vying to
become NSG members. Owing to the complexity of the issue,
the NSG has chosen a cautious path to discuss „technical, legal
and political‟ aspects of their membership in the broader
context of non-NPT states before considering specific
applications. This article begins by tracing the evolution of the
NSG and the expansion in its membership to determine if nonNPT status and NSG membership are in anyway reconcilable.
Its main section, then, examines several underlying issues
within these „critical‟ aspects. It concludes that the issue of
NSG membership for India and Pakistan provides a rare
opportunity that can not only help universalise global nonproliferation norms but may also contribute to stability in
South Asia.
