NEW DELHI, MAY 9: Two days before the tenth anniversary of Pokharan-II, one of the key figures behind the 1998 display of India’s nuclear capability, former President A P J Abdul Kalam has said the country should go ahead with the civilian nuclear deal with the US as it “does not compromise India’s sovereignty”. He said India can “any time withdraw, if any national security need arises in future”.

Underlining that all of India’s nuclear reactors were uranium-based, Kalam, in an email interview to The Indian Express, said since the country did not have enough uranium resources, it should look to getting it from countries which have it in abundance.

The remarks by Kalam, who was the NDA choice for President, come three days after the UPA government made a passionate plea to the Left, asking it to at least allow it to confirm the India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA.

“We have thorium resources in abundance. But thorium is not fissile material and has to be converted into a fissile material using plutonium. Our scientists are working hard to realize this mission. It may take 5 to 7 years time to achieve this goal. Hence, it is essential to have uranium for running our nuclear reactors,” Kalam said, adding that “getting uranium from these countries will not stop us from doing indigenous research and development in thorium-based nuclear reactors”.

“Hence, we should go ahead with the civilian nuclear deal with US. It does not compromise India’s sovereignty. We can at any time withdraw, if any national security need arises in future,” he said.

Asked whether India needed a Pokharan-III, Kalam said that there was no need to keep “re-proving” ourselves unless newer technology demanded. “We should have faith in our own strength. Strength respects strength. Now, our singular focus is only thorium-based research, solar energy research and bio-fuel research to provide clean green energy to the planet earth,” he said.

Expressing satisfaction at the growth trajectory taken by India’s nuclear programme (both civil and strategic), Kalam said the country “had made the right decision in the nuclear area in continuation of economic reforms in 1991”.

“If you don’t do anything, no problem, if you carry out a difficult task or complex mission, always a difficult problem will appear. We should defeat the problem and succeed. India always performed well, when we are constrained,” Kalam said, adding it was clear that the country’s confidence increased after the 1998 tests despite technological and economic sanctions.

“Our scientists in multiple scientific departments have worked for self-reliance and have succeeded in making the cryogenic engine, flight control system for LCA, the latest Agni-III missile system and carbide nuclear fuel development and closing the fuel cycle. Similarly, the industry and service sector have shown marked growth and our economy is in the ascent path right from 2003. All world leaders converged with India. It has been consistently growing at 8 to 9% per annum which has never been experienced before. All this clearly shows that our decision was a landmark decision for the country,” he said.