Updated at 1305 PST Thursday, March 31, 2011
NEW YORK: Pakistan would become fourth largest nuclear state at the end of this decade, A US website, The Huffington Post reported.
The website claimed that the world's five original nuclear weapons countries have all suspended production of fissile materials for new weapons and are negotiating cuts in their nuclear arsenals. But Pakistan is steadily building more nuclear weapons, adding production capacity to produce plutonium and enrich uranium, and building new missiles to deliver nuclear warheads.
It further claimed that the nuclear risks in Pakistan are three-fold: its non-proliferation record is poor, there are concerns about the security of sensitive nuclear materials, and there is no sign of a slowdown in its nuclear weapons drive. A global response needs to be calibrated to address all three of these potential threats.
Former UN weapons inspector David Albright, reported that Pakistan appears to be building a fourth plutonium reactor at the Khushab complex, and is expanding plutonium separation capabilities at another site.
Another report, from a US think tank, says Pakistan now has 70 to 90 nuclear warheads, more than its rival India. This puts Pakistan on track to command the world's fourth-largest nuclear weapons arsenal by the end of the decade.
The evidence suggests that Pakistan is trying to develop a second-strike nuclear capability. Pakistan has tested cruise and other missiles that can carry strategic warheads from land or even from submarines.
North Korea and Pakistan also continue to partner each other such as in matters of missile and uranium enrichment technologies.
Pakistan is not party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT. In other words, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide comprehensive safeguards is limited.
The existing three Pakistani nuclear reactors at Khushab require more than 40 tons of uranium annually, The Huffington Post, concluded.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=13425
