India abstained from voting for the first ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons. India along with eight other armed nations like the US, China and Pakistan did not participate in the negotiations for the legally binding instrument to prohibit atomic weapons. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea did not attend the meeting. As they think that this initiative clearly disregards the realities of the international security environment. According to them, a ban is a risk to the existing international security.
This is the first multilateral legally-binding instrument for nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years. It was adopted on 7 July 2017 during skol and acclamations by a vote of 122 in favor to one against (Netherlands) and one abstention (Singapore). This treaty prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, manufacture, acquire, or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. According to the ambassador of Costa Rica, with this treaty, the world is just one step closer to the total elimination of nuclear weapon. According to this treaty, a ban on nuclear weapons does not address the security concerns which continue to make nuclear deterrence necessary and will not enhance any country’s security, nor international peace and security. About 120 countries in the UN voted for this global treaty to ban nuclear weapons.