A former Pakistani diplomat has accused the ex-ambassador to the US of sabotaging the country’s efforts to block an India-specific safeguards agreement at the IAEA in 2008.
A former Pakistani diplomat has accused the ex-ambassador to the US of sabotaging the country’s efforts to block an India-specific safeguards agreement at the IAEA in 2008.
Pakistan’s former ambassador to the UN in Gen-eva Zameer Akram alle-ged that Husaain Haqqani had “leveraged pressure” on the Pakistani government to overrule the foreign office’s recommendations for opposing the India agreement. “The foreign office was pressured to change its recommendations,” Dawn quoted Mr Akram as saying.
Mr Akram said that Pakistan had even arranged support of friends, including China, for the move. But, before the board could meet Mr Haqqani conveyed to Islamabad about the feared consequences of opposing the agreement. The pressure worked and Pakistan agreed to not call for a vote or block passage of the India safeguards agreement in the August 1, 2008, IAEA board of governors’ meeting.
Mr Haqqani, who is currently with the Hudson Institute has denied the charges arguing that he had only communicated to Islamabad the views of the US government and the final decision in this regard was taken by the then Pakistani government. “I wish I had as much influence,” Mr Haqqani said when asked about the news report.
“Then, Pakistan and all its neighbours would be better off with less conflict. As things stand, I was only Pakistan’s ambassador to the US and our ambassador to the US cannot single-handedly shape policy,” Mr Haqqani said.
