India Applies For NSG Membership

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the US, India has begun its biggest diplomatic battle for a membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by submitting a formal application to the 48-member body.

With the Barrack Obama administration backing India's NSG membership bid, the South Asian powerhouse is gearing up for the first big test that will take place on June 9-10 when NSG member-countries will hold a closed-door meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna. A senior Indian diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, said that PM Modi made a number of phone calls to heads of government across the 48-member Group in the last few days to pitch for India's case. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, too, confirmed on Friday that a high-power campaign, aimed at "engaging all members of the NSG" in the run-up to the Group's extraordinary plenary, was...