Pakistani Nuclear Sites Vulnerable, Report Says

Pakistani nuclear weapons are becoming more vulnerable to theft by tribal militants in the country’s northwestern territories, according to a British think tank report released this month (see GSN, Nov. 20).

Pakistan has located much of its nuclear stockpile in the nation’s northwest region in an effort to secure the weapons against an attack by India, said Shaun Gregory, the chief professor of the Pakistan Security Research Unit, in a new report, The Security of Nuclear Weapons in Pakistan.

“This had the unintended consequence of placing them close to areas which are presently dominated by Taliban and tribal militants groups,” the report says.

The think tank based at the University of Bradford said that pro-Taliban and tribal militants could launch an attack against Pakistan’s nuclear weapons complex.

“They may seek to take possession of nuclear weapons or components, but they could also seek to create a radiological hazard by using explosives or fire to try to destroy the weapons,” the report says.

The report says that even the extensive security measures currently in place cannot guarantee the safety of Pakistan’s estimated 120 nuclear weapons in the current political climate.

“In the present context of political instability President Pervez Musharraf’s control may be weakening and Pakistan may become even more porous in leaking nuclear secrets,” it says.

The report also found that growing enmity toward the West in Pakistan’s army and intelligence agencies has increased the likelihood of tribal militants acquiring nuclear materials through Pakistani personnel.

“This may mean that one in 25 of those in Pakistan with nuclear duties are unreliable at any one time, though not all these will constitute a threat to nuclear weapons security,” says the report, drawing from U.S. figures (Press Trust of India I/Rediff India Abroad, Nov. 22).

Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons remain safe, PTI reported.

“We feel pretty comfortable at this moment of time.  And of course we'll pay attention to, to any, country that has got nuclear weapons,” Bush said in an interview with ABC News when asked about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

“I've been asked previously about the security of the nuclear weapons. I see no indication that's a problem,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a press briefing (Press Trust of India II/Hindustan Times, Nov. 21).

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