US raising stakes in South Asian arms race

[dArKeR]

With Pakistan's nuclear proliferation scandal exposed and peace moves with India under way, South Asia should be a safer place these days. But even as the US vows to crush the atomic weapons black market and make civilian nuclear programs safer, it is being seen as at least partly responsible for a growing arms imbalance between India and Pakistan that could have alarming consequences.

The risks raise the stakes as Indian and Pakistani officials meet in Islamabad from today for the first formal peace talks between their countries in nearly three years, and the first since they came to the brink of war in 2002.

With US blessing, analysts say, India is seeking to build its conventional and non-conventional weapons defenses, making Pakistan feel increasingly vulnerable and driving it to make more and better weapons to counter its rival.

Pakistan is on the back foot after its top scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan admitted leaking technology and hardware to North Korea, Libya and Iran via a sprawling nuclear black market.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/02/16/2003098974