Indo-Pak nuclear weapons pops up during New START debate

Lalit K Jha
Washington, May 20 (PTI) The nuclear arms race between
India and Pakistan has figured during a Congressional hearings
on the New START treaty between US and Russia.
For the past two days, during hearings on New START
treaty held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
lawmakers wanted to know from top US officials and experts,
who were asked to testify before it to give their assessment
of this treaty on other nuclear weapon countries like India
and Pakistan and how it can motivate the two countries to
reduce their nuclear stockpile.
"I wonder if you might comment on reduction in
counter proliferation efforts more generally, that this
agreement might have an effect on.
I think specifically of India and Pakistan, for
instance. To what extent might this agreement have the
positive impact on causing other nations to begin to move in
this direction?" asked Senator Chris Dodd on Tuesday.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refrained from
directly mentioning India and Pakistan in her answer, but did
say that the US would soon explore the possibility of having a
similar kind of dialogue with China.
"We want to explore beginning conversations with
other nuclear nations, starting with China, and see what kind
of opportunity for discussion could exist," Clinton said.
Senator Benjamin L Cardin said the India-Pakistan
issues are also ones of major concern to all of them and noted
that that Russia and the US to work together on these issues
that are important for the international community, including
Iran and North Korea.
Yesterday Senator Jim Risch said initially it was
only between the US and Russia.
"We had the United States and we had Russia that had
nuclear weapons. And we were doing the things that we did, and
rightfully so, and it was important that we had the treaty,"
he said.
"It seems to me, where we now have other countries,
Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, India, and the other issues out
there, it seems to me that a missile defence is more important
now than it's ever been," Risch said. (MORE) PTI