India has the right to test: Kakodkar

BANGALORE: India has the sovereign right to conduct a nuclear test and the only restraint in this regard is the country's voluntary unilateral moratorium on testing, a top scientist said amidst the political uproar over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

"The agreement doesn't say anything about tests. There is no prohibition on tests in the agreement," Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told on the sidelines of a function here.

"In the text there is a non-hindrance clause. There is no hindrance to activity outside the cooperation," Kakodkar, who is also secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, said while referring to strategic nuclear activity.

"There is no question of hindrance from outside on domestic activities. There is no specific mention of tests in the draft part."

Asked whether there could be a cessation of the pact with the US if India conducted a nuclear test, he said: "There is a provision for cessation and termination. To make sure that cessation and termination does not create difficulties in ...running the programme, there are a series of steps...which have been spelt out in the agreement."

There is a need for consultations to spell out the reasons and security concerns for any possible test, he indicated.

"There is also a provision for right to return (nuclear equipment)," he said.

Despite all these provisions, the cooperation "cannot be stopped abruptly". "It has to go through a process," he pointed out.