AFTER another Indian gang was arrested with radioactive material, Pakistan on Tuesday reached out to the international community to seek an earnest disclosure from the Indian authorities as to how a sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material, like californium, was in the possession of apprehended individuals. Pakistan Foreign Office, in a statement, pointed out that it was dangerous for such sensitive material in India to be routinely found in the wrong hands.
In the latest incident, a gang of individuals were found in illegal possession of a highly radioactive and toxic substance californium, worth US$100 million in quantity. This was not a one off incident as theft and sale of nuclear and radioactive material in India is a recurring phenomenon. In February 2022, eight people were arrested in Nepal for possessing and attempting to sell uranium smuggled from India. Earlier in May 2021, reports of the seizure of 7 kilograms of highly radioactive uranium, worth 210 million Indian rupees, from a scrap dealer raised serious concerns about India’s nuclear security capabilities. Over the past two decades, over 200 kilograms of nuclear and radioactive material has reportedly disappeared from Indian facilities. There are reasons to believe that either India lacked the capability to ensure safety and security of its nuclear material and substances or all this is happening in full connivance of the officials and agencies concerned. Why has India not been able to evolve a foolproof security system despite its claims of being a responsible nuclear power? India is also in the habit of raising the bogey of terrorism against Pakistan but forgetting easily that frequent incidents of theft and sale of sensitive material poses serious security threats as the material could find its way to wrong hands. Such incidents together with misfiring of a BrahMos cruise missile 300 miles deep into Pakistani territory in March 2022 speak volumes about safety aspects of sensitive material and weapons in India and the international community must hold New Delhi accountable for this.
