US, international media raises concern over Pak's frenetically growing nuclear arsenal

Washington, Apr.13 (ANI): While Pakistan has been trying hard to allay the international community's fears over its nukes falling into extremist hands during the ongoing two-day nuclear security summit here, the US and the international media has brought into focus Islamabad's continuous efforts to establish new nuclear plants.

Just when President Obama was assuring Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that Washington has no plans to control Pakistan's nuclear programme, the New York Times published a report claiming that Islamabad has completed one of the three new reactors to produce its second generation of nuclear arms.

Although the article did not quote any official source, it said: "The message of those photos was clear: While Pakistan struggles to make sure its weapons and nuclear labs are not vulnerable to attack by Al-Qaeda, the country is getting ready to greatly expand its production of weapons-grade fuel."

Obama has already called the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon as "the single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short-term, medium-term and long-term," and officials said that reports regarding new production of nuclear weapons would 'greatly' add to the problem.

"President Obama is focusing high-level attention on the threat that already exists out there, and that's tremendously important. But the fact is that new production adds greatly to the problem," former Democratic senator Sam Nunn said.

The Times said that President Obama, during his meeting with the Pakistani leadership ahead of the nuclear security summit, expressed his 'disappointment' that Pakistan is blocking the opening of negotiations on a treaty that would halt production of new nuclear material around the world.

"Nowhere is that truer than Pakistan, where two Taliban insurgencies and al-Qaeda coexist with the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal," the newspaper said. (ANI)