``India should not think of being in isolation, but should become an active player in nuclear disarmament,'' he told reporters here. He felt that it was not necessary for the country to conduct further nuclear tests and added that laboratory tests and simulation, over which the CTBT doesn't place any bar, can be continued.

``The CTBT does not come in the way of our development,'' he said, adding, the country can withdraw from the treaty if its security interests are threatened.

Supporting Pokhran-II, Singh said that India need not feel guilty and apologetic about the tests but was critical of the way the BJP government handled the post-Pokhran diplomacy. He described Vajpayee's mention of China as the driving force for testing in his letter to US President Bill Clinton as a ``major fauxpas.''

He said that any further moves on the issue should be made with the backing of all political parties and suggested the country make a no-first-use offer with China and Pakistan, and then with the West. ``After all,'' he pointed out, ``India had the moral authority to work for nuclear disarmament because of its impeccable credentials.''

``Unlike the Western nations, who were projecting themselves as guardians of non-proliferation while abetting the same, India had not passed on nuclear or space technology to other countries,'' he said.