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Pakistan's Nuclear Role Weakens Global Non-Proliferation, Fuels Instability

A report highlights Pakistan's fragile governance and status as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as major risks to global nuclear security. It details how past clandestine nuclear transfers from Pakistan, notably through the A. Q. Khan network, provided the foundation for Iran's uranium enrichment program. The report argues Pakistan's internal political and economic instability creates incentives for elites to leverage nuclear assets, increasing the risk of material leakage. Furthermore, Pakistan's current strategic alignment with Iran is seen as undermining international non-proliferation efforts and escalating regional tensions.

Key Points: Pakistan Nuclear Role Undermines Non-Proliferation: Report

  • Pakistan's non-NPT status raises reliability doubts
  • Past nuclear exports triggered proliferation chain
  • Internal instability creates leakage risks
  • Strategic alignment with Iran undermines safeguards
  • Weakest link in global non-proliferation architecture
3 min read

Pakistan's nuclear role weakens global non-proliferation, undermines stability: Report

Report warns Pakistan's governance and NPT status raise nuclear leakage risks, fueling Iran's program and regional instability.

"Pakistan's clandestine nuclear transfers to Iran... laid the technological foundation for Tehran's enrichment programme - Asian Lite report"

London, Jan 13

Pakistan's fragile governance structure, combined with its non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, raises serious doubts about its reliability as a nuclear steward, increasing the risk of leakage and undermining international non-proliferation safeguards, particularly in relation to countries such as Iran, a report said on Tuesday.

It added that the regional role of Pakistan has been destabilising, as its past nuclear exports triggered a chain of proliferation that armed rogue actors and led to frameworks like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to curb Iran's nuclear deal - prompting Israeli security concerns and Gulf arms races.

"Pakistan's clandestine nuclear transfers to Iran in the late 1980s and 1990s laid the technological foundation for Tehran's enrichment programme, a linkage that persists amid Iran's 2025 uranium stockpiles exceeding JCPOA limits by 48 times. A Q Khan's network supplied centrifuge designs, components, and expertise, shortening Iran's path to threshold status while exposing Pakistan's willingness to proliferate for ideological and economic gain," a report in the UK-based newspaper 'Asian Lite' detailed.

"Today, as Iran installs advanced IR-6 centrifuges at fortified sites like Fordow and suspends IAEA access post-Israeli strikes, Pakistan's public backing of Tehran's "peaceful" nuclear rights signals ongoing strategic alignment with destabilising potential," it stressed.

According to the report, Pakistan's internal instability makes it the weakest link in the global non-proliferation architecture, where recurring political upheavals, frequent coups, judicial manipulations like the 27th Constitutional Amendment, and economic weaknesses create incentives for elites to leverage nuclear assets for survival and economic benefit.

"Jihadist incursions into military facilities, documented in US assessments, raise theft risks for fissile material, while command-and-control vulnerabilities amid civil strife undermine secure stewardship. This brittle governance, coupled with non-NPT status, renders Pakistan unreliable as a nuclear custodian, prone to leakage under pressure and dismissive of international safeguards, perpetuating proliferation risks to states like Iran," it mentioned.

The report noted that Pakistan's ambiguity weakens global NPT enforcement as a non-signatory proliferator that is now supporting Iran's violations, thereby legitimising the outsourcing of nuclear expertise by threshold states, according to proliferation experts.

"IAEA access denials echo post-Khan opacity, with Iran's Arak reactor delays and undeclared sites mirroring Pakistan's past deceptions. Economically, trade ambitions mask strategic calculus. Iran needs markets evading sanctions; Pakistan seeks leverage via anti-Western solidarity. Yet this convergence heightens escalation risks. Iran's Fordow fortifications and 60 per cent focus signal a hedge against regime threats, amplified if Pakistani tacit aid resumes. Israel's hints at broader nuclear strikes, rebuffed by Pakistan's OIC push, underscore how Khan's legacy chains Islamabad to Tehran's defiance," it stated.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As an Indian, reading this is deeply unsettling. We live next door to a state with a fragile government and a track record of spreading nuclear tech. It's not just about Pakistan-Iran; it's about the safety of everyone in South Asia. The world can't keep ignoring this. 🙏
R
Rohit P
The report highlights what we've known for decades. The A.Q. Khan network armed rogue states. Now with internal chaos, the risk of material falling into the wrong hands is real. Global non-proliferation efforts are meaningless if such a weak link exists.
S
Sarah B
While the concerns are valid, I think the report could benefit from a more balanced perspective. It focuses heavily on Pakistan's role but the geopolitical context that drives such alliances is complex. Still, the safety of nuclear materials is paramount for global security.
V
Vikram M
Absolutely correct. Their non-NPT status is a huge loophole. They act with impunity. When you have frequent political turmoil and a powerful military, the command and control of nukes is always in question. This directly impacts India's security calculus.
K
Karthik V
The link to Iran's programme is the most dangerous part. It creates a chain of instability from South Asia to the Middle East. Pakistan's "strategic alignment" with Iran against the West is reckless and puts the whole non-proliferation treaty system at risk. Time for serious action.

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