PAK WANTS NUKE RESTRAINT AGREEMENT WITH INDIA : REPORT

Islamabad, April 12 (NNN): Pakistan says it wants to strike an agreement on "Nuclear Restraint Regime" with India, adding that it was out of this strong desire that Islamabad proposed talks to New Delhi on nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs).

Islamabad early this month invited India to hold talks on nuclear Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) on May 25-26.

The purpose of this invitation for a bilateral dialogue was to discuss measures to minimise nuclear risk, as announced by Pakistan's foreign office.

However, The Nation quoted official sources as saying that the main purpose of Pakistan's offer was to enter into an agreement with India on 'Nuclear Restraint Regime' to lower the threat of war between the South Asian nuclear states.

According to the sources, Islamabad wished to discuss nuclear risk reduction measures to avert any miscalculation or accidental nuclear conflict.

"New Delhi has yet to respond to Pakistan's offer but Pakistani government hoped for a positive response from New Delhi, they added.

Talks on nuclear CBMs was part of the joint press statement issued in Islamabad on February 18 after the crucial talks between foreign secretaries of the two nuclear states.

"With an offer of talks on nuclear CBMs in May Islamabad had also conveyed its desire of agreement on Nuclear Restraint Regime," the sources said.

Pakistan believed there was a strong need for nuclear risk reduction measures in the sub-continent since India and Pakistan were having geographical proximity, they said.

Islamabad had also expressed its desire to have an agreement on Strategic Restraint Regime during the February talks between top Pakistani and Indian diplomats but at that time India did not come up with any reaction.

But this time, Pakistani authorities were optimistic that dialogue on the agreement would take place when bilateral talks on nuclear CBMs would be held for which the Indian response was being awaited, said a senior government official in Islamabad.

He said that it was our hope that Indian authorities would show interest in the nuclear pact as they were well aware of the dangers involved if there was no restraint regime in the South Asian region.

He said any accidental or unlawful use of nuclear weapons would be disastrous for the peace of the whole region let alone the two neighbouring states.

Pakistan and India already had an MoU on some nuclear and missile CBMs.

Under these CBMs, both the countries annually exchange information about the locations of nuclear installations through diplomatic channels.

The information is exchanged to prohibit attacks on each other nuclear installations.

However, analysts believe that Pakistan and India need advanced communication system on the lines of one that existed between US and former Soviet Union so as to avert any accidental nuclear conflict.

Moreover, they should also discuss no first nuclear strike during the course of talks on nuclear CBMs, they said.

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