India, Pakistan exchange list of nuclear installations, prisoners

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) India and Pakistan Thursday exchanged the list of their nuclear installations and facilities under an agreement that bars them from attacking each other's atomic installations.

"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 external affairs ministry said.

The agreement, which was signed on Dec 31, 1988 entered into force on Jan 27, 1991. It provides inter alia that the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

This is the 24th consecutive exchange of such list between the two countries, the first one having taken place on Jan 1, 1992, the ministry said.

Pakistan and India also exchanged the lists of prisoners under the Consular Access Agreement between the two nations.

The agreement, which was signed on May 31, 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other country's jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on Jan 1 and July 1.