Washington: Pakistan has the world’s fastest-growing nuclear
stockpile and it could achieve 150-200 warheads in a decade despite the
political instability in the country, two top American atomic experts
have said.
Pakistan is in the process of building two new
plutonium production reactors and a new reprocessing facility to
fabricate more nuclear weapons fuel, wrote nuclear experts Hans M
Kristensen and Robert S Norris in the latest issue of Bulletin of
Atomic Scientists.
In their paper ’Pakistan’s nuclear forces,
2011’, the authors estimate that if Pakistan’s expansion continues, its
nuclear weapons stockpile could reach 150-200.
"Despite its
political instability, Pakistan continues to steadily expand its
nuclear capabilities and competencies; in fact, it has the world’s
fastest-growing nuclear stockpile," they wrote.
"We estimate
that Pakistan has a nuclear weapons stockpile of 90-110 nuclear
warheads, an increase from the estimated 70-90 warheads in 2009," the
paper said.
"It is also developing new delivery systems.
Enhancements to Pakistan’s nuclear forces include a new nuclear capable
medium-range ballistic missile, the development of two new
nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles, and the development of
two new nuclear-capable cruise missiles," they wrote.
"With
four new delivery systems and two plutonium production reactors under
development, however, the rate of Pakistan’s stockpile growth may even
increase over the next 10 years," they warned. Online
