New Delhi: A bilateral agreement was signed between arch rivals India and Pakistan on December 31, 1988 which mandated New Delhi and Islamabad to exchange information regarding their list of nuclear installations and facilities on the 1st of January every year.
This agreement had been named as the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities and it came into effect on January 27, 1991.
Both the parties need to inform each other about the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of their nuclear installations and facilities under this agreement.
Like every year, the bilateral agreement was followed between New Delhi and Islamabad this time around as well and it marked the 31st consecutive exchange between the two nuclear rivals.
"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 and Facilities between India and Pakistan," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Nuclear power and research reactors, fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment, isotopes separation and reprocessing facilities along with any other installations with fresh or irradiated nuclear fuel and materials in any form and establishments storing significant quantities of radioactive materials, all falls under the umbrella term "nuclear installations and facilities".
Apart from this agreement, India and Pakistan had also signed an agreement in 2008 which mandated New Delhi and Islamabad to share the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody every year on 1st January and 1st July.
This agreement was also followed by both the nations and the lists were successfully exchanged.
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