Pakistan, India Renew Nuke Accident Accord

Rivals Pakistan and India on Tuesday said they had decided to renew for another five years a bilateral accord intended to lower the potential for nuclear arms mishaps, the Press Trust of India reported. The Agreement on Reducing the Risk from Accidents Relating to Nuclear Weapons was first implemented in February 2007 with a five-year timeline, according to the Pakistani Foreign Office. The new extension means the agreement would now expire in February 2017. Indian and Pakistani government specialists in December agreed the pact should be renewed in accordance with joint efforts to improve mutual trust on nuclear-weapon issues. The nuclear-armed states have fought three wars since 1947. A bilateral comprehensive peace process begun in the 2000s ground to a halt following the 2008 terrorist attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai that resulted in more than 160 deaths. New Delhi blamed for Islamabad for not doing enough to suppress militant groups operating from Pakistani territory. The two sides in 2011 agreed to reinvigorate the peace talks, which include consideration of nuclear confidence-building measures. The South Asian states in December also agreed to advance plans to renew another accord that requires each country to notify the other prior to a ballistic missile trial launch (Press Trust of India/The Hindu, Feb. 21).