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Despite downgrading diplomatic relations in the aftermath of a "unilateral decision" by the Indian Parliament to revoke the disputed Kashmir region's special status last August, arch-rivals India and Pakistan have continued to fulfill their formal obligations under bilateral agreements.
India and Pakistan have exchanged lists for their nuclear facilities in accordance with a 1988 agreement, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
“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 installations between India and Pakistan", the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
It is the 29th time since 1992 New Delhi and Islamabad have exchanged lists of their nuclear facilities.
The aforementioned agreement was signed on 31 December 1988 and entered into force on 27 January 1991. It states that the two countries must inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.
Both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons and, along with Israel and South Sudan, they are not parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Last year, when relations between the two south Asian countries reached a nadir, leaders from Pakistan threatened India with nuclear attack while Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also announced his country might consider changing its nuclear weapons doctrine by doing away with a “no first use policy” in the future.
Indian Army Chief MM Naravane on Tuesday also emphasised that If Pakistan does not stop "its policy of state-sponsored terrorism", India reserves the right to preemptively strike at the sources of the terror threat.
"This intent has adequately been demonstrated in our response during surgical strikes and Balakot operation", the Naravane said.
In the midst of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in August 2019, Pakistan recalled its diplomat and also sent back India’s representative from Islamabad.
The Imran Khan-led Pakistan government raised the issue at every international forum, giving a clarion call to the world leaders to intervene for the benefit of the region.
(SPUTNIK)
