New Delhi, Dec 26: Senior officials from Pakistan and India have met in Islamabad for two-day talks on nuclear security and mutual relations between the two sides.
According to reports, a 10-member Indian delegation headed by Y.K. Sinha and Venkatesh Verma, is attending the dialogue being held at the Foreign Office in Islamabad.
Additional secretary in Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Munawar Saeed Bhatti is heading the Pakistani delegation.
The meeting is the first set of formal discussions to be held between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani since they met in Maldives two months ago.
Also, this is the first round of talks to be held by Joint Working Group on nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures in four years.
The two sides are scheduled to exchange lists of nuclear installations and facilities under a 1988 accord.
Nuclear-capable India and Pakistan have also occasionally tested conventional and unconventional weapons since their independence.
The two nations have fought three wars, two over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, routinely carry out tests of nuclear-capable missiles but normally notify each other in advance under an agreement.
Both neighbors have refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other international regulatory pacts that restrict developing or testing nuclear weapons.
India is believed to increase its use of nuclear power from three percent of electricity generation to 40 percent by 2050.
According to reports, a 10-member Indian delegation headed by Y.K. Sinha and Venkatesh Verma, is attending the dialogue being held at the Foreign Office in Islamabad.
Additional secretary in Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Munawar Saeed Bhatti is heading the Pakistani delegation.
The meeting is the first set of formal discussions to be held between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani since they met in Maldives two months ago.
Also, this is the first round of talks to be held by Joint Working Group on nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures in four years.
The two sides are scheduled to exchange lists of nuclear installations and facilities under a 1988 accord.
Nuclear-capable India and Pakistan have also occasionally tested conventional and unconventional weapons since their independence.
The two nations have fought three wars, two over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, routinely carry out tests of nuclear-capable missiles but normally notify each other in advance under an agreement.
Both neighbors have refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other international regulatory pacts that restrict developing or testing nuclear weapons.
India is believed to increase its use of nuclear power from three percent of electricity generation to 40 percent by 2050.
Follow Us
The Kashmir Pulse is now on Google News. Subscribe our Telegram channel and Follow our WhatsApp channel for timely news updates!
