In yet another confirmation of the expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, a new report has revealed that the Islamabad is readying new nuclear facilities and weapons to go with it.
As per a media report, a top US nuclear scientists group has unearthed new evidence of Pakistan government’s continuing efforts to enhance its nuclear weapon stockpile.
The report says that Pak is expanding its fissile material stockpile for use in weapons, building two new plutonium production reactors and is also constructing a chemical separation facility for the purpose.
The report also says that nuke capable ballistic missile (Shaheen II) has also been readied for deployment. It is also developing a submarine launched ballistic missile, two new nuclear capable cruise missiles - the ground-launched Barbur and the air-launched Ra'ad - and.
However, the most concerning part is that Islamabad is keeping missiles with warheads in an assembled form, implying that they can be used anytime thus posing a grave danger to India’s security.
The report also mentions a satellite picture of what is almost certainly a Pakistani nuclear weapons storage site near the Masroor Air Force base, some 12 km from Karachi. The picture reveals the special security that nuclear weapons facilities have, as well as their well separated storage bunkers.
It is also feared that that Pakistan has increased its warheads to anywhere from 70 to 90 from the earlier count of 60.
In a major overhaul of its nuclear policy, Pakistan is supplementing its uranium based warheads with plutonium based warheads, the reason being that the Plutonium based warheads being lighter in weight have a greater range than their uranium counterparts – something clearly planned at bringing more Indian cities under its target range.
Incidentally, this new report comes just a few days after it was revealed that illegal modifications have been made in the American Harpoon anti-ship missile by Pakistan. The modifications were, allegedly, made to increase its capability to strike land based targets, a potential threat to India, Advertisement
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