Pakistan continued to play the spoilsport at the Conference of Disarmament (CD) Geneva as it today blocked the ‘2024 Program of Work’ for the multi-lateral negotiating forum proposed by India as President despite no reference to the Fissile-Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in the proposal. Since CD Geneva functions on consensus, Pakistan’s opposition effectively scuttled the program.
“It is just the bloody-mindedness of Pakistan to block the POW with no substantive reason to do so,” said a veteran disarmament diplomat while maintaining that India during its one month of Presidency (Jan 21-February 20) came out with a document after consultations to ensure its success. The last POW that was adopted by CD Geneva was in 2022.
The Plenary meeting of the CD on Friday, Islamabad showed its hand in blocking the work of disarmament and arms control, something it has consistently done. Pakistan is opposed to signing the FMCT as it claims that this would affect its military posture with India.
The US, France, Russia, UK and even China supported the India ‘POW’, and several delegations at the Plenary meeting wanted to know the exact reason why Pakistan was blocking the proposal. According to diplomats familiar with the matter, Pakistan scuttled the consensus as the ‘POW’ was proposed by India and it did not want New Delhi to succeed in achieving a consensus. CD Geneva is a negotiating body that has hardly delivered since 2009 when it worked on FMCT, prevention of arms race in space , and the issue of addressing negative security assurances.
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