New York, October 11: India and Pakistan have begun weaponising’ the nuclear devices they tested in May last year, unidentified senior aides of US President Bill Clinton have been quoted by the Newsweek as saying. Pakistan has already put nuclear warheads on some missiles and India is following suit, the American magazine has quoted the officials in its upcoming issue.

The officials voiced their concern, it says, after the United States senate slated a vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) on Tuesday. However, diplomats say the comments to Newsweek could be part of the administration's strategy to pressurise the senate into not killing the treaty. The administration has no sufficient support to get it ratified and now wants the vote to be postponed.

Newsweek said, India's External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had recently hinted that New Delhi would sign CTBT which is likely to bring Pakistan aboard. But Clinton's aides say the race might speed up if CTBT fails in the senate.

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