India lauds US-N. Korea summit, reminds the world of Pakistan’s Khan network

Terming the US-North Korea summit in Singapore as “a positive development,” India has expressed hope that the outcomes will be implemented, paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. In the same breath, India has reminded the US and the international community about clandestine linkages between the North Korea nuclear programme and Pakistan’s proliferation network. “India welcomes the United States – DPRK Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development,” India’s external affairs ministry said in a statement soon after the conclusion of the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jung-un in Singapore on June 12. “India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy,” said the ministry. “We hope that the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” it said. While New Delhi welcomed the ongoing US-North Korea rapprochement, it seized the opportunity to highlight the role of Pakistan’s A.Q. Khan Network, founded by famous nuclear scientist, in building the North Korea nuclear programme. “We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India’s neighbourhood,” said the ministry. The statement alluded to India’s concerns over Pakistan’s role in nuclear proliferation and well-documented linkages between Pyongyang’s nuclear programme and the Khan Network. India is among a handful of countries in the world which has maintained diplomatic relations with the reclusive regime in North Korea. In the run-up to the US-North Korea summit, India kept a close watch on the unfolding situation and send Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh to North Korea to engage with the country’s top leadership. This was the first high-level visit by an Indian minister to North Korea in two decades.