India And Pakistan Exchange Nuclear Facility Lists Under 1988 Pact—What You Need To Know

India and Pakistan on Wednesday (1 January) exchanged the list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral pact that prohibits the two sides from attacking each other’s atomic facilities.

The lists were exchanged through diplomatic channels, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels, simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the list of Nuclear Installations and facilities, covered under the Agreement on the prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installation and Facilities between India and Pakistan," the MEA said on Wednesday.

The Agreement, which was signed on 31 December 1988 and entered into force on 27 January 1991 provides, among other things, that India and Pakistan inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

"This is the 34th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on 1 January 1992," the ministry said.

The pact was signed signed by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his Pakistani counterpart Benajir Bhutto on 21 December 1988.

The agreement barred both the countries to carry out a surprise attack (or to assist foreign power to attack) on each other's nuclear installations and facilities.

The treaty provides a confidence-building security measure environment and refrained each party from "undertaking, encouraging, or participating in, directly or indirectly, any action aimed at causing destruction or damage to any nuclear installation or facility in each country".

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