Pakistan, India exchange list of nuclear installations and facilities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India on Friday exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities in each other countries, and also the lists of prisoners, under separate agreements between the two countries for exchange of information on January 1st of every year.

About the annual exchange of nuclear installations and facilities, the Foreign Office spokesperson, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry, said that the lists were exchanged simultaneously in Islamabad and New Delhi. In accordance with Article-II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India, signed on 31st December 1988, he added that the list of nuclear installations and facilities in Pakistan was officially handed over to a representative of the Indian High Commission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday at 1100 hrs (PST). The Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi handed over the list of Indian Nuclear installations and facilities to a representative of the Pakistan High Commission at 1130 hrs (IST), he added.

The agreement contains the provision that both the countries inform each other of their nuclear installations and facilities on 1st January every year. This has been done consecutively since 1st January 1992.

Meanwhile, the two countries also exchanged lists of civilian inmates imprisoned in each other prisons. The government of Pakistan shared with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad a list of 319 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, including 49 civilians and 270 fishermen.

This step is consistent with the provisions of the Consular Access Agreement between Pakistan and India, signed on 21 May 2008, under which both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other's custody twice a year, on 1st January and 1st July, respectively, the spokesperson added. He said that the Indian government also simultaneously shared the list of 340 Pakistani prisoners in India, including 263 civilians and 77 fishermen with the High Commission for Pakistan, New Delhi.

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