Without naming India and Pakistan, the UN Committee adopted by 98 to six votes, the draft resolution ``expressing grave concern and strongly deploring the recent nuclear tests in South Asia.''

The resolution, which now goes to the General Assembly, takes note of the moratoria on further tests declared by India and Pakistan, but asks them to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Overruling Indian and Pakistani objections, the committee last night adopted it by 98 votes to six with 31 abstentions, all from non-aligned countries, after a heated debate and behind the scene consultations over several hours. Bhutan, Benin, Zambia and Zimbabwe joined India and Pakistanin opposing the resolution.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cuba, Ghana, Israel, Kenya, Libya, Maldives, Sudan and Tanzania were among the abstentions.

The resolution, sponsored by Australia, Canada and New Zealand, was voted on after a series of amendments moved by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zambia and Zimbabwe were either withdrawn or blocked by procedural mechanism. The thrust of the amendments was to broaden the scope of the resolution to condemn all nuclear tests and deleting the mention of South Asia and also to demand ending laboratory and sub-critical tests aimed at qualitatively improving such weapons.

Strongly condemning the resolution, India's ambassador to disarmament conference in Geneva Savitri Kunadi described it as ``coercive'', and said it attempted at pressurising India to deflect it from the direction towards which it has already declared its intention to move.

``India has done everything possible to reconcile its own security needs with the general wish of the internationalcommunity to see an end to nuclear testing. The way forward should be to work together. Recriminations or attempts to isolate any country such as through this resolution do not help,'' she told the delegates.

Kunadi said the resolution does not address the broad issues of nuclear testing but only focuses on the nuclear tests conducted in may this year.``This is first time that this committee is being asked to approve a resolution which is discriminatory in its approach and its objective is not to treat all relevant aspects of nuclear testing but to isolate the two countries, India and Pakistan,'' she added.