Pakistan Calls for Investigation into India’s Nuclear Black Market

Islamabad-(Mudassar Iqbal)-Pakistan has responded strongly to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement, asserting that its conventional military capabilities are sufficient to deter India. Pakistan rejected India’s suggestion that its nuclear arsenal should be placed under UN surveillance, accusing New Delhi of resorting to “nuclear blackmail.” This exchange highlights the ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.

These irresponsible remarks reveal his profound insecurity and frustration regarding Pakistan’s effective defence and deterrence against Indian aggression through conventional means,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.

The nuclear-armed rivals ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades with a ceasefire announcement on Saturday. The conflict sparked global concerns that it could spiral into a full-blown war.

The fighting began last Wednesday when India launched strikes against what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.

Pakistan immediately responded with heavy artillery fire and a four-day standoff ensued between the South Asian rivals.

In the statement, Ambassador Shafqat said that the comments of India’s defence minister also showed his sheer ignorance of the mandate and responsibilities of a specialised agency of the United Nations like the IAEA.

If anything, he said, the IAEA and the international community should be worried about the repeated theft and illicit trafficking incidents involving nuclear and radioactive material in India.

Just last year, the spokesperson reminded the world, that five individuals with a radioactive device reportedly stolen from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) were found in Dehradun, India.

Later, a gang of individuals was found with illegal possession of a highly radioactive and toxic substance, Californium, worth $100 million. Three incidents of theft in Californium were also reported in 2021.

These recurring incidents call into question the measures taken by New Delhi for the safety and security of nuclear and other radioactive materials, the spokesperson said.

“These incidents also suggest the existence of a black market for sensitive, dual-use materials inside India,” he said.

Pakistan, Ambassador Shafqat said, urges a thorough investigation of these incidents and calls upon India to ensure the safety and security of its nuclear facilities and arsenal.