Indo-Pak test ban

In addition to the continuation of the two countries' 1999 bilateral agreement to suspend further testing, New Delhi and Islamabad also agreed to set up a hot-line linking the top civil servants in both countries' foreign ministries to help avoid future nuclear confrontation. This weekend's talks were the first between the two countries on the issue of nuclear risks since both conducted nuclear tests within two weeks of one another in 1998.

The continued thaw in relations between Pakistan and India is good news for both nations and, if anything, even better news for the rest of the nations in this region. For too long, regional co-operation has been held hostage to the hostility between the two biggest players, and the entire region can expect to glean a large part of any peace dividend between New Delhi and Islamabad.

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On the specific matter of nuclear weapons, once again, if anything, the biggest winners are the rest of South Asia. None of the other countries in the region can possibly gain from nuclear confrontation, only lose. Ratcheting down tensions between India and Pakistan and an agreement to initiate dialogue to address issues of concern is a major step forward for the entire region.

Hopefully, the agreement with respect to nuclear testing is a harbinger of continued good relations between these two fractious neighbours. We would all reap the benefits of nuclear tensions and risks being reduced, and of the confrontational politics of the past being replaced by mutual co-operation and understanding.