London, Oct. 11: Pakistan has been secretly accelerating its nuclear weapons programme and it has assembled 70 to 90 nuclear warheads as against India’s 60 to 80, a Washington-based nuclear watchdog has claimed.
The Institute for Science and International Security has obtained satellite images showing that a row of cooling towers at Pakistan’s secret Khushab-III reactor has been completed, the Daily Telegraph reported. This suggests the plant could begin operation within months, allowing Pakistan to increase substantially its stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium, it said.
Work at Khushab-III has forged ahead even as Pakistan struggles to cope with the floods that have inflicted damage estimated at £27 billion — and amid mounting concerns over the long-term security of the country’s nuclear arsenal, the report said.
Pakistan argues that its nuclear programme is necessary to counter the superior forces of India, the report said.
Another report, published by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, estimated that Pakistan has assembled 70-90 nuclear warheads as compared to India’s 60-80, and had produced enough fissile material to take it further.