Islamabad May Be Moving To Create Thermonuclear Weapon

Unneeded Pakistani Nuclear Actions May Fuel Arms Race With India

Pakistan expanded a nuclear materials production site, apparently to upgrade its arsenal that includes nuclear-tipped missiles, according to a report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

The expansion was spotted by comparing commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe with an earlier satellite picture of the site, according to report authors David Albright, Paul Brannan and Robert Kelley.

Those improvements at the site may have been there for some time. The most recent picture was taken Aug. 25, nine months ago, and the earlier photo was taken Oct. 11, 2004.

The report detailed work completed at the site.

"Pakistan has … cleared a new plot of land adjacent to the largest of the three compounds on site, which will double the size of this compound. … The expansion includes new industrial buildings, new anti-aircraft installations, and several new settling ponds among the three compounds identified in commercial satellite imagery."

U.S. "officials have recently said that Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear weapons program in the world, at least in terms of installing additional capacity to produce nuclear materials for nuclear weapons," the report noted.

"Commercial satellite imagery supports the conclusion that Pakistan, over the last several years, has concentrated on greatly expanding its nuclear weapons production complex. The reasons for this expansion are undoubtedly related to Pakistani decisions to upgrade its nuclear arsenal, currently estimated to contain roughly between 60 and 100 nuclear weapons deliverable by attack aircraft and ballistic missiles."

The Pakistani actions are unneeded and unwelcome, according to the report, which said Pakistan might be preparing to build a thermonuclear bomb. It is especially worrisome that this expansion of the Pakistani nuclear program comes just when the Taliban is resurgent in that nation, and when concerns already are high that Pakistani nuclear weapons might fall into enemy hands.

Should that occur, and suicide-bomber terrorists launched nuclear-tipped missiles at European targets, a European Missile Defense (EMD) system could take the missiles down. But President Obama proposed giving the EMD program just $51 million in the upcoming fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010. Further, Congress has prohibited any construction of the EMD system in the Czech Republic (radar) and Poland (interceptors in ground silos) until several hurdles are cleared.

"Activities at Dera Ghazi Khan related to nuclear weapons production are unnecessary, as Pakistan currently has more than enough nuclear weapons," the ISIS report stated. "Its plan to upgrade its arsenal stands to accelerate a dangerous and wasteful arms race with India. 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 its nuclear assets remains in question. An expansion in nuclear weapons production capabilities needlessly complicates efforts to improve the security of Pakistan’s nuclear assets."

In a separate report, ISIS staff also discovered that Pakistan expanded its plutonium separation facility near Rawalpindi.

To read the reports titled "Pakistan Expanding Dera Ghazi Khan Nuclear Site: Time for U.S. to Call for Limits" and "Pakistan Expanding Plutonium Separation Facility Near Rawalpindi" in full, please go to http://www.isis-online.org/ on the Web.