Pakistan building third nuclear reactor: Report

Washington, June 22: Pakistan appears to be building a third plutonium production reactor at its Khushab nuclear site in order to build more powerful atomic bombs, a research group said.

The construction was seen on commercial satellite imagery, according to the Institute for Science and International Security, or ISIS. It comes at a time when relations with a key US ally in the anti-terror war are already under some strain.

''Pakistan may have concluded that it needs to improve the quality of its nuclear arsenal and build a new generation of lighter, more powerful weapons,'' said ISIS President David Albright and researcher Paul Brannen, in an analysis yesterday.

They said the activity at Khushab and also at a plutonium separation facility at Chasma, 50 miles (80 km) west of Khushab, ''should be viewed as a sign of an accelerated nuclear arms race'' between Pakistan and its nuclear-armed adversary, India.

''Both Pakistan and India appear on the verge of greatly expanding their production of nuclear explosive materials and nuclear weapons, including more powerful weapons,'' they added.

Plutonium is the preferred material for building light, sophisticated nuclear warheads.

ISIS, a Washington-based research institute, first published imagery in July 2006 revealing construction of a second plutonium reactor at Khushab, which Pakistan had begun building between 2000 and 2002.

The analysts said this facility was still under construction in June 3, 2007 satellite imagery and when operational, could be as large as several hundred megawatts of power.

The third reactor, located a few hundred yards (metres) to the north, appears to be a replica of the second but construction is progressing much faster, going from a faint dirt foundation and no structures in August 2006 to a point of considerable construction now, they said.

The group accused the Bush administration of minimizing the risks of the Indian and Pakistani arsenals as it seeks to conclude an unprecedented nuclear cooperation agreement with India and maintain the war on terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Rep Edward Markey, a senior member of the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee and the co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation, said the news would cause him to redoubled efforts to halt the sale of nuclear-capable F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.

''Pakistan now has two new nuclear bomb factories under construction, and the Bush administration is doing nothing to stop them,'' the Massachusetts Democrat said in a written statement.

''I plan to reintroduce my legislation to stop the F-16 sales unless Pakistan terminates these new reactors,'' Markey added.

Reuters

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