Removing Sanctions on India and Pakistan

In “India Gets Some Respect” (Opinion, Sept. 2) Paula Newburg advocates the Bush administration’s intention to lift sanctions on India while keeping them in place on Pakistan. Newburg argues that removal of sanctions against India “may help stimulate South Asia’s historically contentious states to find new ways to get along.” This is advocacy of a basic injustice. She condones India’s having blatantly disregarded the nonproliferation regime in order to satisfy some self-conceived projection of its position in the region and says that Pakistan’s reaction was meant to “quell brewing unrest among its political extremists.” Pakistan’s nuclear test was an act of defense against a neighbor that has actively threatened its territorial integrity.

In fact, it is the application of double standards that has resulted in the failure of U.S. policy to curb [nuclear] proliferation in South Asia. Newburg acknowledges that sanctions have failed even more against Pakistan than India. What better reason would there be to advocate a just and equitable policy in South Asia? Pakistan has behaved with restraint and maturity on the nonproliferation issue. Any discriminatory or asymmetrical approach on sanctions relief to India and Pakistan would not only be unjust but counterproductive.

Raana Rahim

Consul General, Pakistan

Los Angeles