The reaction came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited New Delhi, where he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to expand economic and strategic cooperation, including collaboration in civil nuclear energy.

During the visit, both countries announced plans to finalise a free trade agreement by the end of this year and set a target to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030, up from about $9 billion recorded in 2024-25.

The two sides also signed a C$2.6 billion uranium supply agreement and agreed to cooperate on the development of small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technologies.

Modi described the deal as a landmark step to ensure a long-term uranium supply for India’s civil nuclear programme, while Carney said the cooperation would support India’s efforts to generate clean and reliable base-load power.

In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad had taken note of the agreement with concern, calling it another country-specific exception in global civil nuclear cooperation.

He pointed out that India’s 1974 nuclear test was conducted using plutonium produced in a reactor originally supplied by Canada for peaceful purposes, an event that later led to the creation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

According to the spokesperson, it was ironic that a state whose actions prompted the formation of global nuclear export controls was now being granted preferential access through selective arrangements.

The Foreign Office also noted that India has not placed all of its civilian nuclear facilities under safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, leaving several installations outside international inspection.

Pakistan further questioned whether the deal included clear and enforceable non-proliferation assurances, saying details of the arrangement remained unclear.

Islamabad warned that assured external uranium supplies could allow India to divert its domestic uranium reserves for military use, potentially increasing the production of fissile material and accelerating the expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

Such developments, the spokesperson said, could deepen existing strategic asymmetries in South Asia and undermine Canada’s commitment to the international non-proliferation regime.

Reiterating its position, Pakistan said civil nuclear cooperation should follow a non-discriminatory and criteria-based approach, particularly for states that are not signatories to the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.