BACKGROUND GUIDE FOR UNGA DISEC

CHINMAYA MUN 2018

LETTER FROM THE EXECEUTIVE BOARD

Dear delegates,

It is with a great pleasure that we welcome you to the simulation of UNGA DISEC at the ChinmayaMUN 2018.

As the name suggests this document is just to give you an idea about the council and agenda in order to channelize debate in the right direction and is by no means a substitute to your research.

For all first timers in the council it is advised that you do go through the UNA USA Rules of procedure so that you have a better idea of how the committee works. However, we assure that we will be having a detailed session on rules of procedure before committee commences.

We sincerely hope that you put in the best for this conference and bring to us debate that is thought provoking for everyone in this committee.

For any queries, feel free to contact any member of the Executive Board.

Happy Researching.

- The Executive Board

UNGA DISEC

AGENDA: WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON SOUTH ASIA.

Introduction

Weapons of mass destruction are those weapons which are capable of causing extreme loss of life and property in a single go. The presence of these weapons is one of the main reasons why a war in the present world can be fatal. As of today, 26 countries are believed to possess weapons of mass destruction. Though their nature is known all across the globe, WMDs do not have a globally accepted common standard definition. Often, WMDs refer to Nuclear,Biological,Chemical and radiological weapons.

The use of WMD’s is recorded only once in the history and it is when the USA dropped nuclear bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The present situation in these places alone is sufficient to understand the extent to which these weapons are capable to cause damage not only to the world but to the world peace as well.

AN IMAGE SHOWING NUCLEAR BOMB DESTRUCTION IN JAPAN

History of India Pakistan relations

Both India and Pakistan gained independence from The British in August,1947.What followed after the partition was something massive and unimaginable. At least 10 million people moved from one nation to another fearing religion-based killings. Kashmir was the prime centre of controversy from then. The then ruler of Kashmir,Hari Singh, decided that Kashmir will join India after the partition. This wasn't supported by most of the Muslims who were majority in Kashmir. Differences arose among people of Kashmir and that led to the present-day Kashmir and the Line of Control(LOC).

India and Pakistan had three wars in 1947-48,1965 and 1971. Also, India had war against peoplewho tried to capture the Kargil region of Kashmir. To this day, Kashmir issue is still not solved.Often, there are ceasefire violations in this region.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is an international treaty which aims at the complete proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is responsible for the efforts that are being made to disarm the nuclear weapons. There are 4 countries that are not signatories to this treaty (India, Israel, Pakistan, South Sudan). Also, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which initially signed the treaty withdrew from it in 2003.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty bans all kinds of nuclear explosions in all kinds of environments. It was open for signature in 1996 and till today 183 countries signed it out of which 166 ratified it. There are 44 annexure countries under this treaty which are the states that participated in the CTBT’s negotiations between 1994 and 1996 and possessed nuclear power reactors or research reactors at that time. The treaty will come into force once these annexure 2 countries sign and ratify it. As of today, 5 of these (China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the United States of America) have signed but not ratified the Treaty whereas 3 more (India, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Pakistan) have not even signed it.

India’s Nuclear Program -

India carried out its first nuclear test in 1974 with a code “Smiling Buddha” in the Pokhran region of Rajasthan. This led to the termination of sanctions by several other countries of theworld. However, India carried out Pokhran-2 tests under the name “Operation Shakti” in spite of the international pressures.

India has a “no first use policy” abiding to which it will not use its nuclear arsenal against any country unless and until the other country attacks India. However, India is inclined towards changing the policy from “no first use” to “no first use against non-nuclear states”.

Pakistan’s Nuclear Program

The gist for the development of nuclear weapons by Pakistan dates back to 1971 where Pakistan suffered a huge blow in the war against India. The then prime minister of Pakistan,Mr. Bhutto,called for what is popularly known as “Multan Meeting”, where he necessitated a nuclear bomb to be made within 3 years.

However, due to various reasons Pakistan couldn't develop nuclear weapon until 1998. Then, it conducted back to back nuclear tests, weeks after India's “Operation Shakti”. The two nuclear tests of Pakistan are named “Chagai I” and “Chagai II”.

Indo – Pak relations under Modi

Narendra Damodar Das Modi came into power in India in 2014. There was a change in India’s attitude and approach towards Pakistan thereafter. India’s stance with regards to Pakistan took new turns and they were full of surprises. The first surprise was when Modi invited Sharif to hisswearing in ceremony. He maintained good relations with Nawaz Sharif on a personal level and it was expected that the Indo-Pak relations would reach an all-time high.But the terrorist attacks in Pathankot in January 2016 and Uri in September 2016 blamed on the jihadists triggered an enormous emotional response of the Indian citizenry and changed everything. Modi got more than an excuse to sustain his Pakistan policy. And it was no use banking on Nawaz Sharif. There was only one way to go. India adopted a hard-line stance towards Pakistan then. It brought up issues like Balochistan and the Indus Waters Treaty and increased the pressure on Pakistan. The surgical strikes that were taken up by the Indian armed forces created a war like tension in the border.Pakistan Is hitting back well in this case. The main reason for its confidence is the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the developing alliance with China and Russia.Its recent border closure with Afghanistan, aimed at hitting India as much as Afghanistan, shows a newfound assertiveness.

Indo – US Nuclear Deal

The Indo-US civil nuclear agreement, signed by the then prime minister of India , Mr.Manmohan Singh and the then President of USA, Mr. Bush after being approved by the US Congress, ends India's nuclear isolation and recognises the world's largest democracy as the de facto sixth nuclear power.It is a historic breakthrough for India, which struggled against sanctions and denials of high technology as a nuclear pariah for more than three decades because it refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and developed a weapons programme.Under the deal,India can keep its nuclear weapons and also buy nuclear fuel and technology for its civilian energy needs from not only US but other NSG countries,such as France, Britain and Russia as NSG to avail the waiver to the deal.In return India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and to place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguard.However, the bill calls for termination of the agreement in case India conducts a nuclear test in the future.

China – Pakistan Nuclear Cooperation

China and Pakistan have agreed to cooperate in uranium exploration and mining. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said it had signed a framework agreement with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission for technical cooperation in the exploration and development of uranium resources. China signed a similar agreement with Saudi Arabia earlier.

Under the new agreement, China's uranium industry will fully employ its technological advantages, its nuclear research institutes, nuclear chemistry industry, aerial remote sensing centre and other units in cooperation with Pakistan.

CNNC, which said Pakistan is an "important bridge across the Middle East and South Asia", has already exported four 300 MWe reactors to that country and is constructing two 1000 MWe units. It said it is actively engaged in cooperation with Pakistan in uranium resources, nuclear technology applications, the training of workers and other areas.