* University of Karachi

March 13, 2008

* Pakistan sez no worry about its nuclear weapons becoming tool of jihadists

March 11, 2008

* Pakistan - risk of nuclear proliferation to terrorists

January 27, 2008

This is from the front page of today's Lansing State Journal, of Michigan.

August 31, 2007

Pakistan - the nation most likely to give n-weapons to terrorists over next five years

A recent survey of Washington's national security establishment found that Pakistan is thought to be the state most likely to transfer nuclear technology to terrorists in the next three to five years.

[Source: The New Republic editorial, "Bang Galore", Sept 10, 2007 cover date, p. 1 (not yet posted to web site)]

May 28, 2007

Pakistan's emergency preparedness is inadequate for nuclear plant plans, says Hoodbhoy

The establishment of three power plants as KANUPP 2 near Karachi has hit the headlines in recent months with the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) stating that the project will have a capacity for a whopping 600 megawatts... Fears abound regarding the fact that a country which is already burdened with failing security measures, unprofessionalism and corruption for amenities such as electricity, oil and gas, may find these sensitive enterprises a tall order to handle. "The authorities have absolutely no measures in place to deal with nuclear disasters," declares Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, cited by Pakistani newspaper Dawn as a renowned professor of nuclear physics. "Karachi, where the wind blows from the sea towards the land, is especially at risk. In developed countries, there are emergency evacuation plans but this is not possible here. The losses would be colossal," he said.

[Ref: Reemi Abbasi, "New nuclear power plant sets alarm bells ringing", article on Dawn website, May 27, 2007, distributed by BBC Monitoring under headline "Pakistan to establish three nuclear power plants near Karachi", May 28, 2007]

Pakistan - radwaste dump disaster in Baghalchur?

A recent incident in Baghalchur near Dera Ghazi Khan where uranium dumps resulted in major health disasters for both people and animals, continues to send out desperate distress signals. "There is no independent monitoring. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and PNRA release absolutely no information regarding nuclear waste disposal on the pretext of secrecy. There are assurances but no facts," says Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, cited by Pakistani newspaper Dawn as a renowned professor of nuclear physics. "The wretchedly poor people of Baghalchur finally mustered up the courage to move the Supreme Court with the complaint that the nuclear waste had contaminated the environment, badly affecting them and their animals but were unable to get justice," he elaborates.

In response to Hoodbhoy's tirade, PAEC spokesperson Mohammed Tariq Rasheed says that there is a water pool in KANUPP where the waste is deposited and it is monitored by a camera which has been set up by the IAEA. "We cannot do anything ourselves as international rules apply to treatment," he says.

Interestingly, Senator Jamal Leghari, who had raised a ruckus over the contamination in his constituency of Dera Ghazi Khan was more than defensive about the lethal accident: "All nuclear safety standards are being followed and everyone at the local level is content. Another development is that all the employees who were on daily wages whether at the plants or in mining operations have been made permanent." When asked about the rampant health hazards caused by the incident, Leghari's reply was more than alarming. "It was mostly misinformation. There were a few cases which have been rectified," he said.

[Ref: Reemi Abbasi, "New nuclear power plant sets alarm bells ringing", article on Dawn website, May 27, 2007, distributed by BBC Monitoring under headline "Pakistan to establish three nuclear power plants near Karachi", May 28, 2007]

October 25, 2006

* AQ Khan had tried to leak Pak nuke details through letters
Zee News (India)

Islamabad, Oct 25: Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan 'collapsed and sought clemency' from President Pervez Musharraf after it was found that he ...

* Special report on the Khan Network: Where is the justice?
EurekAlert (press release) (DC)

... Although Slebos was found guilty in late 2005 on five counts of illegally exporting dual-use nuclear parts, he received a reduced sentence and is appealing the ...

July 4, 2006

Pakistan to buy F16s

India isn't at all happy that Bush administration has decided to sell $5-billion worth of arms, including up to 36 F16 fighter planes, to Pakistan. The 130 Harpoon missiles reported to be included in the deal will improve Pakistan's ability to attack in more congested environments using P-3 aircraft, according to the newspaper's unnamed sources. Clearly, they say, these are not directed at terrorists, but against India. However, the US defense department has repeatedly assured Congress that the weapons systems Pakistan wants would not alter or reduce India's military advantage. Congress has the power to block or change a proposed sale such as this.

[Source: Times News Network and Agencies, "Pak to get 36 F-16s from US; India Says $5 Billion Arms Package Not Conducive To Improving Relations", The Times of India (Mumbai edition), July 4, 2006, p. 14]

* [2006-05-24] Editorial: Do not cover up the radioactive waste issue...
Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-05-23] Pakistani lawmaker says nuclear waste dumped in open
Reuters

* [2006-05-23] Pak atomic energy chief linked to nuke proliferation in 1980
NewKerala

* [2006-05-23] Pakistan, China to cooperate in peaceful use of nuke-tech: PM
Xinhua News

* [2006-05-21] N-waste dumping taking toll
Shakeel Ahmed, Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-05-19] US Ôhas optionsÕ if radicals get hold of Pakistani nukes
Khalid Hasan, Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-05-14] 1998 nuclear tests cost Pak taxpayers heavily: Report
Zee News

* [2006-05-07] Dumping of nuclear wastes leads to protests in Pak
Zee News

* [2006-05-05] Hecklers interrupt Rumsfeld speech
CNN International

... the US government cut off military-to-military relations in the 1990s in response to Pakistan's nuclear program.

* [2006-05-05] United Kingdom rules out any civil nuclear deal with Pakistan
NewKerala.com (India)

... Faisalabad: The UK has ruled out civil nuclear deal with Pakistan, as was recently entered between India and the US. British High ...

* [2006-05-02] Pakistan won't let US question freed scientist
Reuters

* [2006-04-30] Pakistan Frees Senior Nuclear Scientist
Sadaqat Jan, Guardian

* [2006-04-30] Pakistan frees aide to disgraced nuclear scientist
Reuters

* [2006-04-29] Al-Qaida Calls for Overthrow of Pakistan
United Press International/Newstalk ZB (New Zealand)

al-Zawahiri's message was in the form of a 16-minute video with English subtitles. It appeared late Friday on an Islamist web site.

* [2006-04-29] Long-range, N-capable Hatf VI test fired
Daily Times (Pakistan)

The Hatf VI (Shaheen II) is Pakistan's longest range ballistic missile system, with a range of 2,000 km. An advanced version has potential to achieve 2,500 km range. It's a two-stage, solid-fuel missile, surface-to-surface, and can carry nuclear or conventional warheads.

* [2006-04-29] Pakistan stages new missile test
BBC News

* [2006-04-09] Nuclear regulatory authority soon
Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-04-08] Mushahid for zero N-proliferation
Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-04-05] Investigations continue into Pakistani nuclear scandal: US official
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-04] Pakistan and US in nuclear talks
BBC News

* [2006-04-01] Unbiased approach by N-group urged
Qudssia Akhlaque, Pakistan Dawn

* [2006-03-31] PakistanÕs nuclear assets in safe hands: Shaikh Rashid
PakTribune

* [2006-03-23] Pak was Õvery fullyÕ informed about N-deal: US
PakTribune

* [2006-03-23] Pak was informed about nuke deal: US
Deccan Herald

* [2006-03-17] 'Key member of Khan nuclear network' goes on trial in Germany
Yahoo! News

* [2006-03-13] US wants to help Pakistan on energy, but not nuclear
Simon Cameron-Moore, Reuters

* [2006-03-13] Two more nuclear plants for Karachi
Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-03-13] Secretary Bodman and Pakistan Officials Hold High-Level Energy Meeting
DOE

* [2006-03-13] U.S. - Pakistan Joint Press Statement
DOE

* [2006-03-10] View: Shed no nuclear tears
Saleem H Ali, Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-03-05] Bush: No Nuclear Pact for Pakistan
Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times

* [2006-03-05] Bush Offers Praise To Pakistani Leader
Jim Vandehei and John Lancaster, Washington Post

* [2006-03-04] Bush Praises Pakistani President's Efforts
Jim VandeHei and John Lancaster, Washington Post

* [2006-03-04] U.S., Pakistan Recommit to War on Terror
Deb Riechmann, Guardian

* [2006-03-04] Bush convinced of Pakistan commitment in terror war
Tabassum Zakaria and Zeeshan Haider, Reuters

* [2006-03-04] Bush says "no" to giving Pakistan nuclear deal
Reuters

* [2006-03-04] Bush cool to giving Pakistan nuclear deal
Reuters

* [2006-03-03] Pakistan Proves an Awkward Ally to U.S.
William Foreman, Guardian

January 3, 2006

Pakistan may buy $7-10 billion worth of Chinese n-plants, adding 3600-4800 MW online by 2025

Pakistan is negotiating the purchase of six to eight nuclear power reactors from China over the next decade. The deal involves a series of 600MW reactors, with construction starting by 2015, and would take Pakistan a long way towards meeting government targets of raising nuclear power generation capacity to 8,800-MW by 2030, up from a current capacity of 425-MW.

A senior western diplomat in Islamabad said that Pakistan's increasing reliance on China could be a reaction to the US offer to sell reactors to India, its neighbour and nuclear rival. "This could be meant to tell Washington that Pakistan has other options," he said. However, Lieutenant General (retired) Talat Masood, a Pakistani commentator on security affairs, said that discussions with China had been going on for some time." Pakistan has a long term relationship with China and there is a great trust factor," he said. General Masood said that Pakistan would continue to pursue US reactors as well, although though many in Islamabad felt that the price was too high.

[Source: Farhan Bokhari, "Pakistan seeks to buy reactors from China in bid for nuclear expansion", Financial Times (London, England), January 3, 2006, p. 12]

April 18, 2005

Pakistan plans more n-power plants
The Canberra Times (Australia), p. A6

Pakistan has announced plans to triple its nuclear power capacity by 2015 by adding 9000 megawatts of new nuclear capacity. Currrently it has two reactors with a combined capacity of 425MW. By 2030 it expects to add a further 7500MW capacity.

* India-Pakistan peace 'irreversible'
UPI, 7:09 am EST

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf issued a joint statement Monday saying peace between the two nuclear powers is "irreversible." Both sides pledged not to let militant attacks impede the peace process. Musharraf told editors Monday military solutions were "not the option anymore." It was Musharraf's first visit to India since a failed summit in 2001.

* 2005-04-03: Pak best ally in terror fight: US
Pakistani Newspaper

* 2005-04-03: 'Pak N-experts close to al-Qaeda'
Times of India

* 2005-04-03: India, Pak, Israel must renounce nukes to join NPT: US
S Rajagopalan, Hindustan Times

* 2005-04-01: Pakistan will hand nuclear parts to IAEA
Farhan Bokhari, Financial Times

* 2005-03-31: Pakistan Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile
Reuters

* 2005-03-31: Pakistan test-fires short-range, nuclear-capable missile
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-30: Why is Bush selling F-16s to Pakistan?
Fred Kaplan, Slate

* 2005-03-28: No rolling back N-programme: Kasuri
Pakistan Daily Times

* 2005-03-28: India accuses nuclear superpowers of turning blind eye to nuke bazaar
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-28: PAEC to upgrade Pakistan's nuke facilities
Netindia123

* 2005-03-27: Pakistani Cited in Transfer of High-Tech Gear
Jenny Nordberg, New York Times

* 2005-03-26: Illegal Nuclear Deals Alleged
Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times

* 2005-03-26: Pakistani Hints He'll Turn Over Centrifuges in Iran Investigation
Somini Sengupta, New York Times

* 2005-03-26: U.S. Is Set to Sell Jets to Pakistan; India Is Critical
Thom Shanker and Joel Brinkley, New York Times

* 2005-03-26: Rice Defends U.S. Sale of F-16s to Pakistan
Reuters

* 2005-03-26: US allows Pak to go nuclear: report
Kashar News

* 2005-03-26: Pakistan gets IAEA request for N-parts
Times of India

* 2005-03-25: Pakistan mulls nuclear handover
BBC News

* 2005-03-25: Pakistan considering sending nuclear parts to IAEA
Zeeshan Haider, Reuters

* 2005-03-25: Pakistan may send centrifuge parts to UN watchdog
Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-23: USA allowed Pak to go nuclear: report
India Tribune

* 2005-03-22: DPRK to join nuclear talks "at any time" given right conditions: Pak
Xinhua News

* 2005-03-21: Pakistani's Black Market May Sell Nuclear Secrets
William J. Broad and David E. Sanger, New York Times

* 2005-03-21: 'Pakistan may hand over A.Q. Khan to US'
Times of India

* 2005-03-19: Pakistan's Musharraf vows to strengthen nuclear program as missile tested
Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-18: Nuclear noose tightens around Pak
Times of India

* 2005-03-18: Experts to Assess Pakistan Nuclear Export Controls
Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

* 2005-03-16: Pakistan Rejects New Nuclear Procurement Charges
David Brunnstrom, Reuters

* 2005-03-16: Rice Seeks Details on Pakistani's Nuclear Help to Iran
Joel Brinkley And Steven R. Weisman, New York Times

* 2005-03-15: Pakistan Reviving Nuclear Black Market, Experts Say
Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

* 2005-03-15: 'N-warheads kept separate from delivery systems'
Anwar Iqbal, Pakistan Dawn

* 2005-03-14: Pakistan Denies It Will Hand Nuclear Parts to UN
Reuters

* 2005-03-14: Pakistan denies it sending centrifuges to IAEA for testing
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-14: Dr AQ Khan not to be handed over to any country: Rashid
PakTribune

* 2005-03-13: Pakistan 'to submit centrifuges'
BBC News

* 2005-03-13: Pakistan to send centrifuge parts to IAEA for testing: diplomats
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-11: Iran 'given Pakistan centrifuges'
BBC News

* 2005-03-11: Pakistan Admits Rogue Scientist Aided Iran
Munir Ahmad, The Guardian

* 2005-03-11: Analysis-Pakistan Nuclear Admission Part of U.S. Iran Pressure
David Brunnstrom, Reuters

* 2005-03-10: Pakistan Admits Rogue Scientist Aided Iran
Paul Haven, The Guardian

* 2005-03-10: Pakistan: Disgraced Scientist Gave Iran Centrifuges
Zeeshan Haider, Reuters

* 2005-03-10: Khan gave Iran machines useable for A-bomb - Pakistan
Zeeshan Haider, Reuters

* 2005-03-10: Pakistan's nuclear hero Khan provided centrifuges to Iran: minister
Yahoo! UK

* 2005-03-05: Generals used Khan for PakistanÕs nukes, says US report
Pakistan Daily Times

* 2005-03-05: Editorial: Ms Bhutto and the nuclear issue
Pakistan Daily Times

* 2005-03-04: Generals used Khan for PakistanÕs nukes, says US report
Pakistan Daily Times

April 13, 2004

Pakistan may be withholding evidence re Khan except for sales to Korea, Iran, Libya

Many critical details are missing from the account that Pakistan has given to the United States and its Asian allies. Because Pakistani officials are not permitting American intelligence agencies to interrogate Dr. Khan directly, American officials are getting their information secondhand. Some officials suspect that Pakistan is withholding crucial details, including any evidence about countries that Dr. Khan dealt with beyond North Korea, Iran and Libya.

[Source: David E. Sanger, "Pakistani Says He Saw North Korean Nuclear Devices", The New York Times, April 13, 2004, p. A12]

March 18, 2004

* Pakistan - US mistreatment led to its n-sales, and paltry current US aid risks worse

January 25, 2004

Pakistan - religious leader supports government's investigation of n-scientists

Syed Kabir Ali Wasti, vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-QA) said that the recent debriefing of nuclear scientists should not be politicised. He condemned certain elements for bringing families of the nuclear scientists out on the roads. ÒSince the country is passing through a difficult time, debriefing of scientists should not be made an issue against the government,Ó he said, warning against the charges of proliferation the country, could face, and the dangers of being dubbed as terrorist, bankrupt and a rogue state. He assured the masses that the details uncovered by the investigation will be made public, including bank account numbers and deposits related to alleged nuclear technology transfer.

[Source: Shahzad Raza, "Govt to make findings about N-scientists public", Daily Times (Lahore, Pakistan), January 26, 2004]

January 8, 2004

New US approach -- exposure -- to Pakistan, the most dangerous place on earth

Key to the recent progress has been a new official U.S. willingness to identify, publicize and deal with Pakistan as the world's most determined proliferator of illegal nuclear weapons technology and design. Pakistani help has been instrumental to the ambitions of Libya and Iran to acquire such weapons and in North Korea's development of them.

Washington has long known this but has been reluctant to confront Islamabad. When I wrote in 1995 about the evidence that U.S. intelligence had gathered of Pakistan's help to Iran, a State Department spokesman denied that account. As recently as a few months ago, Pakistani spokesmen were denouncing columns here spotlighting the North Korean connection. The blanket denials have stopped, and U.S. officials speaking on background are now spelling out details of Pakistan's involvement in Iran, North Korea and Libya.

President Pervez Musharraf's regime has reluctantly begun an "investigation" into whether Pakistani scientists did what Musharraf has always denied happened. This "rogue scientist" version ignores the official help that the nuclear transfers needed and received from Pakistan's military and intelligence services. The Bush administration must not buy into a new coverup from Islamabad out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to Musharraf.

Pakistan continues to be the most dangerous place on Earth because of its mix of nuclear weapons, unstable politics, religious fanaticism and the involvement of senior military and intelligence officials in terrorist networks, including al Qaeda and the Taliban. Two recent assassination attempts against Musharraf underline the fragility of his rule.

It is unclear whether Musharraf is acting out of a sense of internal strength or weakness in moving to account for Pakistan's terrible record on proliferation and to improve relations with India by promising to stop terrorism in Kashmir, as he did this week. If he pursues these efforts seriously, he will provoke the showdown at home that he has long sought to avoid but that must come if Pakistan is to cease its international criminality.

[Source: Jim Hoagland, "Nuclear Resolution",ÊThe Washington Post, January 8, 2004, p.ÊA23]

August 13, 2003

Pakistan and China have signed a memorandum of understanding on construction of a second 300 MWe reactor at Pakistan's Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (Chasnupp). A formal agreement on the proposed Chasnupp-2 unit is expected to be signed soon. (Nuclear Market Review, 8 August, p2; see also News Briefing 01.18-7)

[Source: World Nuclear Association, WNA News Briefing NB03.32-11, August 12, 2003]

May 30, 2003

India sees n-threats from governments of China & Pakistan, plus from radicals in Pakistan who might gain acess to that nation's nukes