US Prez set the agenda for Indo-Pak nuclear pact in 1988: Nishikant Dubey

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, on Thursday, cited a declassified letter from former US President Ronald Reagan to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to criticise the Congress party for questioning American involvement in diplomatic efforts between India and Pakistan.

In a post on X, Dubey wrote, “Why does the Congress get angry? When I read this letter, I felt a deep sense of regret.”

He shared a copy of the letter, which showed that the US played a central role in shaping the 1988 India-Pakistan nuclear agreement and other regional decisions.

Dubey stated, “President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia. The American President set the agenda for the talks.”

He added, “This letter reveals that the 1988 nuclear agreement between India and Pakistan was signed under American pressure. Even our conversations with our friend Soviet Russia on the Afghanistan issue were driven by the American agenda. Is this what the Shimla Agreement stood for? Was this slavish mentality the legacy of the ‘Iron Lady’? Were we truly a sovereign nation? And now the Congress attacks Modi ji for strengthening India?”

The excerpt of the letter shared by Dubey reads: "You know my apprehensions regarding nuclear competition in the subcontinent. Your discussions with President Zia next week in Delhi can help set the agenda for peace. I understand that nuclear issues will figure prominently in your talks. We will continue to support regional efforts aimed at achieving nuclear peace in the subcontinent. We are also working bilaterally to enhance non-proliferation prospects, as you asked."

The agreement referred to in the letter is the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack Against Nuclear Installations and Facilities, signed by India and Pakistan on December 31, 1988, and brought into force in 1991.

Dubey’s remarks come amid renewed attacks by the Congress party over the Modi government’s handling of foreign involvement in India-Pakistan relations and the cessation of Operation Sindoor, which was launched following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Dubey went a step further, questioning the rationale behind India's military deployment in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, suggesting it, too, may have been influenced by Washington.

“According to this letter, it seems that even in Sri Lanka, we sent the army to kill Tamil brothers only under American pressure?” he wrote.

--IANS

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