India offers to formalise nuclear no-first-use commitment through a multilateral legal agreement at UN

India has reiterated its willingness to formalise its commitment not to use nuclear weapons first and not to use them against nonnuclearweapon states through a multilateral legal agreement as it called for progress on global nuclear disarmament and measures to reduce nuclear risksCongress MP Manish Tewari representing India at the United Nations General Assembly UNGA First Committee in New York outlined the countryrsquos position on nuclear weapons and related issues on MondayIndia remains committed to nuclear disarmament that is universal nondiscriminatory and verifiable This goal can be achieved by a stepbystep process underwritten by universal commitment to an agreed nondiscriminatory multilateral framework Tewari saidIndia reiterates offer for legally binding commitmentsTewari said India had presented its approach in a 2006 working paper to the First Committee and again in 2007 at the Conference on Disarmament through document CD1816The relevance of this approach endures he saidDescribing Indiarsquos nuclear doctrine Tewari said the country maintained a policy of credible minimum deterrence with a nofirstuse posture and a commitment not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclearweapon statesWe are prepared to convert these undertakings into multilateral legal arrangements he saidI wish to underline that Indias capabilities are shaped by our unique security environment and are not directed against any specific actor India also remains committed to its voluntary unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing he addedIndia calls for stronger security assurancesTewari said legally binding assurances against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons could help reduce the insecurity experienced by nonnuclearweapon states and strengthen the global nonproliferation frameworkIndia believes that legally binding assurances to nonnuclearweapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons should alleviate their sense of insecurity and thereby strengthen the nonproliferation regime This would contribute to reducing the nuclear danger he saidIndia and China are the two nucleararmed countries widely recognised as maintaining declared nofirstuse policies although the scope and conditions of their respective commitments differIndia flags risks from artificial intelligenceAddressing emerging technological challenges Tewari highlighted concerns over the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear commandandcontrol systems He said India supported the principle that decisions to use nuclear weapons should remain in human handsHe also referred to Indiarsquos resolution on reducing nuclear danger which it has tabled at the United Nations since 1998 The initiative draws attention to the risks associated with keeping nuclear weapons on highalert status and calls for measures such as dealerting and detargeting to reduce the possibility of accidental or unintended useNew Delhi renews call for nuclear weapons conventionTewari highlighted Indiarsquos longstanding proposal for an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons Introduced in 1992 the initiative calls on the Conference on Disarmament to begin negotiations on a legally binding international instrumentSuch a universal legally binding agreement will build the political will needed for the total elimination of nuclear weapons We look forward to the continued support and cosponsorship of member states for both resolutions The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons does not create obligations for India Our commitment to global nuclear disarmament nonetheless remains unchanged as does our commitment to strengthening nonproliferation he saidIndia also reiterated its commitment to international cooperation to prevent nuclear materials and technologies from reaching terrorists and other nonstate actorsTewari who represents Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha is part of the second group of MPs joining Indiarsquos delegation to the United NationsWith inputs from IANS