Pak has 60 nuke bombs, is building more: Congressional report

Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 28 (PTI) Pakistan with about 60
nuclear warheads; primarily targeted towards India, is
continuing production of fissile material for weapons and
adding to its weapons production facilities and delivery
vehicles, a US Congressional report has said.

The latest report by Congressional Research Service
(CRS) - a research wing of the US Congress which prepares
reports for Congressmen - has confirmed the recent statements
and media reports that Pakistan was expanding its nuclear
arsenal.

"Pakistan's nuclear arsenal consists of approximately
60 nuclear warheads. It continues fissile material production
for weapons, and is adding to its weapons production
facilities and delivery vehicles," said the report "Pakistan's
Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security issues", which was
issued today for media.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs
of Staff, at a Congressional hearing on May 14 had confirmed
that the US has "evidence" that Pakistan is expanding its
nuclear arsenal. Also, a similar report was published in 'The
New York Times' early this month.

Pakistan stores its warheads unassembled with the
fissile core separate from non-nuclear explosives, and these
are stored separately from their delivery vehicles, it said.

Pakistan does not have a stated nuclear policy, but
its "minimum credible deterrent" is thought to be primarily a
deterrent to Indian military action.

"Deterring India's nuclear weapons and augmenting
Pakistan's inferior conventional forces are widely believed to
be the primary motivation for Islamabad's nuclear arsenal,"
the CRS said.

The report further states that Islamabad gained
technology from many sources including uranium enrichment
technology from Europe, blueprints for a small nuclear weapon
and missile technology from China.

Pakistan's nuclear warheads use an implosion design
with a solid core of highly enriched uranium (HEU), about
15-20 kg per warhead and "Islamabad continues to produce about
100 kg of highly enriched uranium for weapons every year," the
report said.

Referring to expansion of Khushab plutonium production
reactor - by adding two additional heavy water reactors with
Chinese help - the report said "the continued expansion of the
complex and production of weapons materials could indicate
plans to increase its nuclear weapons arsenal in the near
future."

The CRS reports that even as Pakistani officials have
said that they have already determined the arsenal size needed
for a minimum nuclear deterrent and they will not engage in an
arms race with India, all indications were otherwise.

Mullen also confirmed that the US has "evidence" that
Pakistan was expanding its nuclear arsenal and construction of
additional nuclear reactors were a pointer in that direction.

The CRS said that Pakistan has pledged no-first-use
against non-nuclear weapon states, but not ruled out first
-use against a nuclear-armed aggressor that attacks Pakistan
for example, India.

This ambiguity serves to maintain deterrence against
India's conventional superiority. Others argue that keeping
the first-use option against New Delhi allows Islamabad to
conduct sub conventional operations, such as support for low
intensity conflict or proxy war in Kashmir, while effectively
deterring India at the strategic level.

"Pakistan has reportedly addressed issues of
survivability through second strike capability, possible hard
and deeply buried storage and launch facilities, road-mobile
missiles, air defenses around strategic sites, and concealment
measures," the CRS said in its report. PTI LKJ
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