India worried about N-weapons falling in dangerous hands: Saran

India has said it was "deeply worried" over the potential nexus between clandestine proliferation of nuclear weapons and terrorism and favoured "transparent verification procedures" to prevent such materials falling in dangerous hands.

India has said it was "deeply worried" over the potential nexus between clandestine proliferation of nuclear weapons and terrorism and favoured "transparent verification procedures" to prevent such materials falling in dangerous hands.

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Speaking at the 'Global Zero Summit' in Paris, PM's Special Envoy Shyam Saran pitched for a "more urgent time frame" for achieving nuclear disarmament.

"India is deeply worried about the potential nexus between clandestine proliferation and terrorism and the ever-present danger of such weapons or vulnerable nuclear materials falling into the hands of Jehadi and non-State actors," he said addressing the summit on Wednesday.

Saran termed nuclear proliferation as a "specific threat to India".

"However, over the long term, it is also our view that it is only through the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and by putting in place universally applicable, non- discriminatory and fully transparent verification procedures, that we can fully prevent and deny nuclear materials from falling into dangerous hands," he said.

Welcoming the lead taken by the US and Russia in reducing their nuclear arsenal, Saran said, "We must remain mindful of security trends, including relating to the improvement, accretion and deployment of strategic armaments, in the Asia-Pacific region."