The year 2005 ended on a high note for Pakistan's power sector. On 28 December, Pakistan began construction of a second nuclear power station with China's help at Chashma in Punjab province. This event is of great significance to the region particularly in the backdrop of India cutting ice with the American establishment for help in nuclear power sector. Shaukat Aziz inaugurated the construction at a concrete-pouring ceremony of Chashma-2.

As per the Pakistani authorities, the first phase 300 MW nuclear generating unit at Chashma, some 175 kilometres southwest of Islamabad, is functioning perfectly since it went commercial in September 2000. The current 325 MW power plant lies adjacent to this facility. This $850-million project is expected to start production in 2011. The design of this reactor is based on the Qinshan-1 nuclear reactor in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang.

Pakistan claims that it needs these plants for the socio-economic development of its people. It intends to produce some 8,800 MW in the next 25 years. This would constitute eight per cent of its total electricity production. China proposes to continue this cooperation in the arena of nuclear energy and wants to help Pakistan meet its growing energy needs.

Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has a long history, with its basic job to cater for increased nuclear energy generation to surmount serious energy shortages in a country substantially lacking in natural energy resources. During the early 1970s, Pakistani scientists worked hard to establish the first nuclear power reactor called Kannupp near Karachi. The commission's endeavour was also to promote the utilization of nuclear technologies in other areas, i.e. to enhance agricultural production and for medical diagnosis/therapy.

However, the PAEC's philosophy of using nuclear technology digressed from the path of peace in 1974 when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto declared that he intends to take the development of nuclear technology to its natural conclusion i.e. the build nuclear weapons. The so-called father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, Dr AQ Khan, became familiar with the nuances of nuclear technology at PAEC, where he worked for a short period during 1975-76. Bhutto gave him autonomous control of the uranium enrichment project in July 1976. AQ Khan founded the Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) on 31 July 1976, with the exclusive task of indigenous development of Uranium Enrichment Plant. Recently, the same AQ Khan shocked the world and sparked international alarm in February 2004 when he publicly confessed to sharing nuclear technology with North Korea, Libya and Iran.

Pakistan's past performance makes the entire world suspicious about its investment in any sort in nuclear technologies. This could be the reason why during the recent inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had to emphasize that Pakistan's nuclear power plants were under IAEA safeguards and the Pakistani government has taken a number of steps to prevent the leakage of nuclear material. He further stressed that Pakistan has established an effective command and control authority to ensure the safety and security of their strategic assets and have adopted wide-ranging controls to prevent leakages of nuclear material.

Pakistan understands that India and the US have developed a strategic partnership on nuclear and military issues. Pakistan has already started lobbying with the US for similar treatment for itself for nuclear technology and equipment. Pakistan realizes that Washington has limited interest in collaborating with it. Currently, the US is engaging Pakistan only as an ally in the "war against terrorism," in particular, the Taliban and Al Qaeda. This forces Pakistan to view the Indo-US strategic partnership with great suspicion. It understands that to counterbalance Chinese influence the US may be interested in engaging India. Pakistan has managed to wriggle out of the embarrassment caused by the AQ Khan network and is sure that looking at its non-proliferation record, the US may not help it in its quest for nuclear energy.

Western countries and the Nuclear Supplier Group have banned the supply of dual-use technology, including nuclear power plants to Pakistan because of its refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and put all the nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.

Naturally, this leaves Pakistan to look at their old and dependable ally China. India has in the past expressed its reservations about nuclear and military cooperation between Pakistan and China. Nuclear issues dominated the global strategic discourse during the year 2005. In the arena of nuclear technology (read weapons), the year ended on a sombre note with the Iran problem far from being resolved and North Korea giving mixed signals. Pakistan's nuclear collaboration with China even in civilian nuclear field needs to be monitored more closely because of its past track record.