Pakistan Expanding its Nuclear Capabilities
Located 200 kilometers south of Islamabad, Khushab nuclear site is well-known in Pakistan for the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. The site originally hosted a heavy water production plant and a heavy water reactor, and became operational in 1990s. However, post 2000, construction at the site started gaining momentum. Pakistan began construction of a second heavy water reactor between the year 2000 and 2002, followed by a third reactor in 2006, and the fourth one in 2011. According to a US think tank the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), “The expansion of the Khushab nuclear site appears to be part of a strategic effort by Pakistan to boost its weapon-grade plutonium production. This increased capability would allow the country to build a larger number of miniaturised plutonium-based nuclear weapons in order to complement its existing arsenal of highly enriched uranium weapons.”
Text Courtesy: ISIS
