Pakistan, India swap lists of nuclear facilities

Jan 1, 2010, 9:00 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistan and India exchanged lists on Friday of their nuclear installations under a 1988 agreement that prevents them from attacking such facilities.

The swap came despite a pause in the peace process between the archrivals after the November 2008 attacks in the Indian financial centre of Mumbai which killed at least 166 people.

Both sides share updated information on the first working day of each year and this practice has continued since 1992.

'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over the list of Pakistan's nuclear installations and facilities to an officer of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad at the Foreign Office today at 1100 hours (0600 GMT),' a brief statement by the Pakistani foreign ministry said.

A similar list of Indian facilities was simultaneously received at the Pakistani mission in New Delhi, according to the statement.

The South Asian neighbours carried out nuclear tests in 1998.

Both countries have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Their relations improved after they began peace talks in 2004.

India suspended the process following the 2008 Mumbai carnage, pressing Islamabad to act against the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, whose members are blamed for the deadly assaults.

Pakistan has admitted that the attacks were partially planned on its soil, and arrested several suspects, including the alleged mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who are on trial.