KUALA LUMPUR: (PTI): Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has proposed arms control talks with India, saying the recent growth of India’s “(blue water navy)”, its acquisition of a nuclear submarine and the launching of its first intermediate range ballistic missile Agni had “(clearly caused a tremendous amount of apprehensions).”
In a wide-ranging interview to “she said this caused concern not to just Pakistan but to all countries to the east and west of it.
Bhutto arrived here at the head of her country delegation to the Commonwealth summit, said in the interests of security, countries of the region should come to an understanding to prevent an arms escalation.
Asserting that other countries tended to follow the lead of any country acquiring arms, Bhutto said“(the competition gets greater and the strain gets heavier)”.
“I think it is very important that we start exploring the idea: of arms control talks with India to prevent an arms race be it in the conventional arms filed or in the nuclear field)”, Bhutto said. She said some beginning in this regard was made by late President Zia ul Haq.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 27, 1989
