On January 1st every year, when the world is ushering in the new year and celebrating the change of time, India and Pakistan exchange the list of all nuclear facilities with each other. This happens every year, irrespective of the current state of the diplomatic relations between the two neighbours. On Sunday, Pakistan confirmed that it has provided all the details of the nuclear installations to the Islamabad-based Indian Mission. Similarly, India also gave the details to the Pakistani Mission based in New Delhi.
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The three-decade-old pact
So, why exactly do these two neighbours that have fought three wars exchange the sensitive nuclear details every year? A pact between these two nuclear rivals is the reason behind this annual practice. Since January 1st, 1992, India and Pakistan have been exchanging nuclear details on the first day of the year. This agreement was signed between the two neighbours in the year 1988. Lists of nuclear installations are exchanged on January 1st.
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The tradition continues
It was on December 31st, 1988, when both nations signed the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. The 2023 exchange of lists is the 32nd instance when two nuclear powers have shared the details.
Brahmos and the technical malfunction
Last year, on March 9, a Brahmos missile had landed in Pakistan sparking an alarm all over the world. After intense speculation and worries, New Delhi had confirmed that a missile was indeed launched but it was a ‘technical malfunction.’ New Delhi said that the missile was accidently fired during a routine maintenance work.
Pakistan had claimed that the supersonic missile had landed at a sparsely populated place, which was 124 km inside the Pakistani territory. Islamabad had claimed that the unarmed Brahmos was at an altitude of 40,000 feet and could have very well put passenger planes in danger.