Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 19:38 IST

In a sharp rebuke to Pakistan, the MEA said a nation with a "well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation" is in no position to lecture others on export controls

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan’s remarks about its uranium deal with Canada, calling them an attempt to divert global attention from their own “abysmal" record of nuclear proliferation.

In a back-and-forth that has continued from last week, when the uranium supply agreement was signed between India and Canada, New Delhi called Islamabad’s statements “ludicrous". Pakistan voiced “significant security concerns" over the long-term bilateral arrangement.

The agreement between India and Canada includes potential cooperation on small modular reactor (SMR) technologies.

WHAT DID INDIA SAY?

Responding to the allegations, external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s standing within the global non-proliferation architecture remains beyond reproach.

“We reject this statement made by Pakistan on the matter," Jaiswal said during a press briefing. “India’s credentials regarding non-proliferation are impeccable and well recognised by the global community."

In a sharp rebuke, Jaiswal said a nation with a “well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation" is in no position to lecture others on export controls. He called Pakistan’s warnings as “ludicrous statements" intended solely to distract from its own controversial history.

“A country with a well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation can hardly preach the virtues of export controls and proliferation risks. Such ludicrous statements are nothing more than an attempt by Pakistan to distract from its own abysmal record," he said.

WHAT DID PAKISTAN SAY?

The backlash from India follows a detailed critique from Pakistan’s foreign office. Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the India-Canada arrangement represents a “country-specific exception" that undermines global nuclear governance.

Pakistan said granting New Delhi preferential access to nuclear fuel is particularly “ironic", given the historical context of India’s 1974 nuclear tests. Islamabad maintains that those tests were conducted using plutonium produced in a reactor originally supplied by Canada for “peaceful purposes".

According to the Pakistani foreign office, it was India’s actions that “necessitated the establishment of global export controls" and led directly to the creation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Pakistan’s objections are linked to a lack of international oversight accompanying the deal.

Islamabad has alleged that India did not place its civilian nuclear reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, and it did not undertake any binding commitment to do so within this specific arrangement.

“Several facilities, as nuclear facilities in India, remain outside international inspection," Andrabi said, adding that the “strategic consequences" of the agreement are “troubling".

Pakistan said by securing a steady stream of external uranium for its civilian sector, India is effectively able to “release" its domestic uranium reserves for military applications. This will enable a significant expansion of India’s nuclear weapons programme and its fissile material stockpile, further tilting the regional balance of power.

This is not the first time the two nuclear-armed neighbours have traded barbs over safety protocols and international law over this agreement. Only last week, India had dismissed what it called Pakistan’s “ironic" outrage over its landmark deal.

The Centre had called out Pakistan’s “hypocritical" condemnation, stressing that Islamabad’s own history of “illicit" nuclear proliferation makes its concerns about regional stability entirely hollow.

Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs (MOFA), meanwhile, had been quick to denounce the deal warning that it will “fuel an arms race" and allow India to “expand its nuclear arsenal". Islamabad had said the deal represents a “country-specific exception" that undermines the global non-proliferation regime.

News india 'India's Non-Proliferation Record Impeccable': MEA Slams Pakistan Over Remarks On Canada Uranium Deal

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