CTBT: Ethical Googlies

Updated on: 7 February 2024 7:31 pm

Having tested, India is now on the other side of the disarmament debate. Besides, with its new leverage it can push for time-bound N-disarmament. Earlier it wanted the treaty to be linked to this.

Now that India too can conduct sub-critical tests and computer simulation, its earlier objections that the treaty was not comprehensive enough to ban all kinds of testing have been diluted.

The verification regime, earlier rejected as too intrusive, is now dubbed non-discriminatory.

Now that India has tested, its security concerns have also been addressed. (This was cited as one of the important reasons for not signing the CTBT in 1996).

The entry into force clause will not be a problem anymore if India agrees to sign the treaty. Under the treaty, India had to be a signatory for the treaty to come into force. This, India earlier argued, was a way of forcing it to join the treaty.