Despite concerted efforts at Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) and several rounds of talks to improve relations between India and Pakistan, there has not been appreciable progress. The nuclear issue is particularly thorny. India has pressed Pakistan to enunciate its nuclear doctrine and asked it to join the global efforts for concluding the UN-sponsored Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) which would ban the production of nuclear bomb-making material.
At the expert-level talks in Islamabad last year on nuclear CBMs, India did not accept Pakistan’s proposal for bilateral cooperation on nuclear safety and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, saying such a step would have to wait till there is better trust and confidence between the two countries. Pakistan is the only one of the 65 refusing to participate in the FMCT talks. Of course, the treaty is at a nascent stage, and many differences have to be sorted out between the recognised nuclear powers as well. Emphasising restraint and responsibility in the management of nuclear weapons, India has expressed the hope that Pakistan would seriously consider joining the FMCT talks.