The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Islamabad

Nuclear-armed Pakistan and India exchanged lists of their civilian nuclear facilities on Tuesday, an annual exchange they undertake as part of a pact prohibiting attacks on such installations, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said.

The agreement, dating back to 1988, requires the neighbours, which have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947, to swap lists of their nuclear sites on the first working day of every year. While relations between the two countries have improved since they launched a peace process in early 2004, there was no major progress last year when Pakistan was preoccupied with domestic politics. Last week India put its forces on the border on high alert after Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. It also suspended some transport links.