India, Pakistan sign nuclear agreement

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan finally signed an agreement on Wednesday to reduce the risk from accidents arising from nuclear weapons. The proposal was in the pipeline since former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Lahore visit in 1999.

The agreement which has not yet been made public is aimed at reassuring the international community that the two sub continental neighbours are responsible nuclear states and are aware of the need for nuclear restraint. Vajpayee's visit to Lahore in February was soon after both countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998.

Considering the hostile past between the two countries, the rest of the world was naturally under trepidation owing to their growing nuclear capability. President Clinton had once said that South Asia was the most dangerous place on earth, because of a looming nuclear threat. The agreement, however, does not include an early warning system, which any way would be meaningless, because of the proximity of the two countries. Any major accident in any of the countries would affect the other.

However, the two nations want to show the world, more so to the US that they are moving in the right direction. India and Pakistan already exchange lists of their nuclear installations each year. They have an agreement on pre-notification of missile tests, and one on not attacking each other's nuclear facilities. "Today's agreement is one more CBM in place with the rest," said C Uday Bhaskar, a strategic analyst.