ISLAMABAD
\nSpeaking at a roundtable discussion organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), several experts maintained that the West bore greater responsibility for bringing nuclear negotiations back on track with Iran.
\nIn his opening remarks, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, highlighted that while nuclear weapons brought about strategic stability in some instances, they also resulted in arms races in other situations.
\nAmbassador Saleem cautioned that the break down of negotiations might lead to a major change in Iran\u2019s stated nuclear policy, which in turn could start a chain reaction in the Middle East in terms of a quest for nuclear capability. Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director of Centre for International Security Studies and Pakistan\u2019s former envoy to IAEA, provided a detailed historical overview of Iran\u2019s nuclear program.
\nHe also touched upon the international community\u2019s suspicions about Iran\u2019s nuclear program and noted that despite Iran\u2019s compliance with certain inspections, considerable doubts persisted, leading to heightened tensions and breakdown of negotiations with the P5+1. He underscored that Iran had a right to peaceful nuclear technology being a signatory of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) so long as it met its treaty obligations.
\nDr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University, traced the evolution of Iran\u2019s nuclear posture through three significant phases. He highlighted Iran\u2019s initial nuclear developments under Atoms for Peace program of the US in 1950s, its eventual signing of the NPT in 1970s and its current uranium enrichment activities following US withdrawal from JCPOA.
\nSyed Muhammad Ali, Chairperson PEMRA Council of Complaints and a prominent security expert, analysed Iran\u2019s nuclear program through five distinct phases, highlighting its diplomatic, technological, economic, strategic, and political dimensions.
\nHe felt that economic sanctions imposed on Iran had been counterproductive as Iran\u2019s nuclear posture would essentially be determined by Israeli motives, not economic factors. The seminar was attended by diplomats, security experts, researchers, academics, media personnel and students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Speaking at a roundtable discussion organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), several experts maintained that the West bore greater responsibility for bringing nuclear negotiations back on track with Iran. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, highlighted that while nuclear weapons brought about strategic stability in some instances, they also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n