LAST week, a US-based international organization, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) in its latest report (2023) — while evaluating the status of global nuclear security — has ranked Pakistan above India in terms of its handling of hazardous nuclear material. Whereas, the IAEA has acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts on nuclear security and the NTI in its 2020 report, also endorsed Pakistan’s progress, declaring Pakistan as the most improved country in the theft ranking for countries with nuclear materials. Thus, it is justifiably argued, “Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities are the safest and most secure in the world, with zero incidents of any theft or missing nuclear materials, like its eastern neighbour, India, where such incidents are often reported.” Because of its prompt and comprehensive nuclear security mechanism, Pakistan dominates the South Asian region in terms of nuclear safety and security.
Every year, NTI releases its annual report on nuclear safety and security index which measures countries’ nuclear security capabilities and efforts based on a set of indicators and criteria– highlighting the security of nuclear materials and facilities; the adherence to international norms and treaties; the regulatory framework for nuclear security; and implementation of the best practices to prevent unauthorized access to nuclear weapons or materials. Currently, the NTI index revealed in the tabulated form Pakistan’s total score of 49 which was higher than India’s 40, Iran’s 29 and North Korea’s 18. Pakistan is ranked 32 along with Russia and Israel in terms of the security of its nuclear facilities and is above India, Iran, Mexico, South Africa and several others on a list of 47 countries.
Stabilized nuclear safety, security mechanism in Pakistan: As a nuclear capable state, Pakistan takes its nuclear security responsibility very seriously. The security of nuclear weapons remains the core responsibility of Pakistan’s National Command Authority (NCA).For years, the NCA’s Secretariat, Strategic Plans Division (SPD) has been fully committed to ensuring nuclear safety and security. Pakistan has adopted the best available measures to enhance its security on both domestic and international levels.
Domestically, Pakistan’s Strategic Export Control Act 2004 enables the government to control the export, re-export, trans-shipment and transit of goods, technologies, materials and equipment that may contribute to the designing, development, production, stockpiling maintenance or use of nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery systems. Pakistan has also established a specially trained, highly skilled and well-equipped force specifically for the physical security of its nuclear installations. As part of its national detection architecture, Pakistan has deployed radiation detection equipment at various entry and exit points to deter, detect and prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials.
Nuclear safety and security in Pakistan are based on multiple layers and defence-in-depth concepts. Pakistan has successfully implemented International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-Pakistan nuclear security cooperation program. Several projects have been successfully implemented for capacity enhancement in nuclear security. For capacity building, Pakistan’s Centre of Excellence on Nuclear Security (PCENS) was established with US support through the IAEA. The National Institute of Safety and Security (NISAS) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) are also important contributors to capacity building and professional development. Moreover, Pakistan has also been working with the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) in different areas, including the development of GICNT guidelines.
Pakistan is also a party to several legal instruments related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) non-proliferation, disarmament and nuclear safety and security, including the amended Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM). In this era of emerging technologies, Pakistan strongly believes that an internationally binding framework should be evolved to regulate different aspects of the Lethal Autonomous Weapons System (LAWS).
India, a hub of nuclear material thefts: The theft of over 200 kilograms of nuclear material over the last two decades in India poses a serious threat of nuclear terrorism, necessitating action by the global powers to address poor safety standards in the country. According to a timeline issued by The South Asia Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI), 18 nuclear materials’ thefts and lost incidents were reported in India from 1994 to 2021 involving over 200 kg of nuclear material. A number of uranium/radioactive substance theft incidents in the recent past occurred in India which indicated the presence of a black market for nuclear materials inside India. The latest incidents reported are: in 2021, 6.4kg of uranium in Jharkhand and likewise 7kg of uranium in Maharashtra were confiscated by the Indian authorities. In August 2021, 250kg of uranium variant – a highly radioactive and toxic substance – worth $573 million was confiscated in Kolkata and two persons from Indian strategic organizations were arrested.
India’s case of poor safety and security of radioactive material has been exclusively highlighted by Adrian Levy, a British Journalist, in his reports. He revealed that people living near the Subarnarekha River—flowing through the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha –are routinely exposed to exceptionally high levels of radiation causing infertility and birth defects in the population. The source of this radiation are the mines, mills and fabrication plants of East Singhbum – district of Jharkhand state – where the state-owned Uranium Corporation of India Ltd is sitting on a mountain of 174,000 tons of raw material. And most dangerously, on 9 March 2022, India accidentally fired a BrahMos missile originating from Sirsa, Haryana that crashed into Mian Channu, Khanewal district, Punjab, Pakistan.
NSG bid and Pakistan: Arguably, after NTI’s current nuclear safety and security ranking for Pakistan, Islamabad’s case for joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group has become convincingly poised. ’All of Pakistan’s export control laws are at par with international standards and the standards set by the NSG and other export control regime’’. India’s irresponsible role of nuclear safety and security notwithstanding, the western powers have unjustifiably favoured India, thereby giving an unwarranted NSG waiver to it.
As for India, Pakistan races towards securing an NSG bid, by any sane arguments, today, Pakistan highly deserves to acquire the Nuclear Suppliers Group bid. The geopolitical western interest by no means should undermine the principle of fair and just treatment based on criteria of the NSG bid. Instead of demonstrating a biased approach vis-à-vis Pakistan’s NSG bid, the western nuclear community must adopt a liberal approach in this regard.
—The writer, an independent ‘IR’ researcher-cum-international law analyst based in Pakistan, is member of European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on IR, Critical Peace & Conflict Studies, also a member of Washington Foreign Law Society and European Society of International Law. He deals with the strategic and nuclear issues.
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