Pakistan ranked above India, Iran, and North Korea in terms of hazardous material handling, according to Nuclear Security Index, an international organization evaluating global nuclear security. According to foreign media reports, the country is now ranked 19th out of 22. The Nuclear Security Index (NSI) is a non-profit organization based in Washington that meticulously records how countries handle nuclear material. It measures countries’ nuclear security capabilities and efforts based on indicators and criteria. These include nuclear material and facility security, adherence to international norms and treaties, the regulatory framework for nuclear security, and the implementation of best practices to prevent unauthorized access to nuclear weapons or materials. According to the NTI index, Pakistan’s score of 49 was higher than India’s 40, Iran’s 29, and North Korea’s 18. It also revealed that Pakistan, along with Russia and Israel, ranked 32 in terms of the security of its nuclear facilities, ranking ahead of India, Iran, Mexico, South Africa, and several other countries on a list of 47. The index, however, expressed concern about global nuclear security, which it claimed was deteriorating. “After years of reporting flagging progress on nuclear security, the NTI’s Nuclear Security Index for the first time in 2023 finds that nuclear security conditions are regressing in the dozens of countries and areas with weapons-usable nuclear materials and nuclear facilities,” it said. The report’s authors also noted that several countries, including Pakistan, were “adding to their stocks of weapon-grade materials”. Eight countries — France, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United Kingdom — have increased their stocks of weapons-usable nuclear materials, in some cases by thousands of kilograms per year, undermining minimization and elimination efforts and increasing the risk of theft,” the report stated. “Countries also are reneging on their commitments to confidence building and information sharing, key drivers of progress during the period of the Nuclear Security Summits.” The most recent NTI index assessed the theft resistance of highly enriched uranium and plutonium, as well as the sabotage resistance of nuclear facilities. These materials, if stolen, can be used to build a nuclear bomb. Nuclear facility sabotage can also result in a dangerous release of radiation.
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