India-Pakistan Nuclear Talks Begin Tomorrow

India and Pakistan are scheduled to hold two-day talks beginning tomorrow in New Delhi on nuclear confidence-building measures, according to Reuters (see GSN, June 15).

The talks, to involve experts from the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministries, had previously been scheduled to occur last month, but India sought a delay because of a transition in government stemming from parliamentary elections there (see GSN, May 24). Analysts have said that this weekend’s talks could include discussion on establishing a formal communications system between the two countries’ nuclear commands.

“India and Pakistan need to have some kind of communication to avoid an accidental nuclear clash. There is a need to structure this,” said Hameed Toor, a security studies expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Later this month, the Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries are expected to hold talks on nuclear security issues and on the disputed region of Kashmir, which has threatened in the past to be a flashpoint between the two countries (Reuters/Gulf News, June 18).

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