Pak says it has conducted stress tests at civil nuke plants

Mar 24, 2012 |

Islamabad

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Pakistan had successfully conducted stress tests at its civil nuclear power plants immediately after the Fukushima reactor accident in Japan last year, a top Pakistani diplomat said on Saturday.

Besides the stress tests at the nuclear power plants, Pakistan has taken several steps to secure its strategic nuclear programme, including the creation of a National Command Authority and the setting up of an academy to train professionals in the physical protection of atomic assets, said Masood Khan, who is currently Pakistan's Ambassador to China.

Khan, who will be the country's chief negotiator at the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in South Korea next week, told state-run APP news agency that Pakistan had a long experience of using civil nuclear technology for generating electricity.

"For the last 37 years we have successfully operated civil nuclear power plants. In 2000, we established a strong National Command Authority to keep a close watch on all dimensions of nuclear safety and security," he said.

The Strategic Plans Division, which works under the National Command Authority and is responsible for managing the nuclear arsenal, has established a training academy which "trains professionals and officials in the areas of physical protection and personnel reliability", Khan said.

The Pakistan Institute of Engineering Sciences is awarding a Master's Degree in nuclear security and other institutions are developing similar programmes, he said.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will participate in the two-day Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Seoul from March 26.

"Prime Minister Gilani's personal attendance illustrates continuity in Pakistan's commitment with the NSS process, Pakistan's abiding commitments to enhance nuclear security in our country, and our support to the international community to work for a common cause," he contended.

Khan underlined that after the first Nuclear Security Summit in the US in 2010, the Pakistan government had taken a number of measures on nuclear security.

"Pakistan's professional nuclear security officials are benefiting from these programmes," he said.

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