As part of their overall strategic partnership, the US and India are engaged in talks over sale of missile shield systems to help New Delhi face any nuclear threats from Pakistan and other “volatile” countries in the region, a media report here said on Thursday.

Quoting unnamed US diplomats, the Financial Times said the preliminary talks took place mainly at scientific and technical level and American defence officials had conducted computer simulations with their Indian counterparts.

Noting that India is a partner of the US, the officials said, “We want to provide it with whatever it needs to protect itself. This fits into the overall strategic partnership we are building.”

The Indo-US relations blossomed in the recent years culminating in the signing of a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

The report said India’s need for greater protection against threats emanating from Pakistan and other volatile countries in the region was highlighted by an escalation in the Indo-Pak tensions after the Mumbai terror attacks.

It claimed that India also views China, with which it has a border dispute, as “a potential adversary.”