Pakistan and India to hold peace talks

Pakistani and Indian officials will try to agree to more safeguards to avert war when they meet for two-day talks, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

The talks follow a series of missile tests by the nuclear-armed rivals. Although India and Pakistan have used such tests as a form of diplomatic pressure in the past, officials from both sides have said the recent tests weren’t aimed at sending any signals ahead of the latest round of negotiations.

India and Pakistan have a history of bitter relations, and have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. However, the two nations embarked on a peace process last year, restoring travel and diplomatic links and holding talks on outstanding issues.

A five-member delegation from India was to arrive in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad later today for talks due to start tomorrow.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said the talks would focus on confidence-building steps in conventional and nuclear arms.

“Their focus will be on formalisation of an agreement on prior notification of ballistic missile tests, and how to ensure conventional stability,” he said.

India and Pakistan routinely inform each other of their missile tests.

Pakistan became a declared nuclear power on May 28, 1998, when it conducted underground nuclear tests in response to those carried out by New Delhi.

Officials from Pakistan and India were also scheduled to meet in New Delhi later today to discuss how to combat smuggling and drug trafficking, Khan said.

Also this week, Indian and Pakistani officials will survey border posts in the Sir Creek marshlands between India’s western Gujarat state and Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, where the boundary is disputed.