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India Readies Law Outlawing WMD Proliferation
Indian lawmakers are preparing a bill that would exact heavy penalties on people or entities found to be engaged in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or weapons materials, The Indian Express reported today (see GSN, April 22). India’s Parliament could pass “The Weapons of Mass Destruction and Their Delivery Systems (Prevention of Unlawful Activities) Bill, 2005” before the body’s present session ends on May 13, according to the Express. The act would bar the export, trade, transfer or shipment of weapons and weapons-related materials, equipment or technology, the Express reported. The ban would cover nuclear weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, munitions and devices, radioactive material, fissile material and delivery systems. The penalty for dealing in unconventional weapons or radioactive material under the law would be five years to life in prison. Possession of a nuclear device or aiding terrorists to obtain weapons of mass destruction also could lead to a life sentence and a large fine. India also pledges in the bill not to support efforts by other nations to develop or obtain unconventional weapons. An agency might be organized to execute regulations called for by the act, the Express reported. Officials hope the legislation will convince other nations of India’s commitment to nonproliferation, and entice the United States, Russia and other countries to share nuclear technology with New Delhi (Shishir Gupta, The Indian Express, April 27).
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