Press Trust of India Posted online: Thursday, January 01, 2004 at 1635 hours IST
Islamabad, January 1: India and Pakistan on Thursday exchanged upgraded lists of nuclear facilities and installations under a bilateral agreement for the 13th year in succession, three days ahead of the SAARC summit.
Pakistan foreign office invited a Gitesh Sarma, the political counselor of the Indian High Commission, and handed him over its list, which broadly remained the same as that of last year, official sources in Islamabad said.
Pakistani officials said Indian External Affairs ministry also handed over its list to a senior diplomat of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi on Thursday.
Both countries exchange upgraded lists every year under the 1998 bilateral agreement on the prohibition of attack against nuclear installations.
Under the agreement, the two countries are to inform each other on January 1 of every calendar year of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered by the agreement. The first such exchange of lists took place on January 1, 1992.
The agreement stipulated that both the countries should list out the nuclear installations and facilities in order to exempt them from attacks in the event of war between the two countries to prevent the spread of nuclear material endangering the lives of millions people who lived in the vicinity.
The lists mainly covered the nuclear power plants as well as the research installations.
