By Xinhua
Canberra : A Pakistani minister has said that if Australia is considering selling uranium to India then Pakistan should be offered the same deal, media reports said Friday.
Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs Ejaz ul-Haq has said that the Australia-India uranium deal is a diplomatic issue, reported Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.
"Pakistan should be considered alongside India. When countries work deals in this region, they have to keep the balance of power in this region," Haq told ABC radio.
"Pakistan's nuclear programme is totally peaceful. If we are going to go further into nuclear it is going to be for energy, because we are suffering from power shortages," he added.
The minister's comments came after Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer Thursday said that despite India not having signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, uranium could be sold to power stations open to the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Media reports also said the Australian cabinet would soon consider a submission by Downer that allows the sale of uranium to India.