Strife in Pakistan raises U.S. doubts about nuclear arms

As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants to intercept weapons in transit, or to insert sympathizers into facilities. David Albright and Paul Brannan of the Ploughshares-funded Institute for Science and International Security wrote in a recent report, “In the current climate, with Pakistan’s leadership under duress from daily acts of violence by insurgent Taliban forces and organized political opposition, the security of any nuclear material produced in these reactors is in question.” Albright also commented for McClatchy on Pakistan’s decision to construct a new reactor, saying that commercial satellite pictures taken of the Khushab site in January appear to show one reactor all but complete, and the other having its roof installed.

New York Times