Pak moving towards deadlier nukes, says US body

Even as new external affairs minister S M Krishna today said that India and Pakistan should join hands to fight terrorism, a US think-tank has pointed out that Pakistan is moving towards a plutonium-based nuclear weapons programme that is more "destructive and deliverable".

It also said that Pakistan already has 60 nuclear-tipped missiles, all aimed at India.

Strongly rebutting an article published in The Washington Post that describes Pakistan's imminent development of nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and perhaps thermonuclear weapons a sign of a "more mature" programme, Institute for Science and International Security scoffed at the implication that more destructive nuclear weapons somehow lead to a better nation.

"Pakistan is likely supplementing or replacing its current uranium-based nuclear weapon arsenal with plutonium-based weapons which will be more destructive and deliverable," said ISIS.

In the last two weeks, Pakistan has sought to turn the public debate over its nuclear programme into a binary choice between Pakistan expanding its programme and Pakistan modernising its programme, it said, adding that the truth is more complex.

It said 'modernising' a nuclear weapons programme should at most be related to improving the security of existing nuclear weapons, increasing security of fissile material in storage, at military and civilian nuclear industrial sites, or in transit. In other words, it should not imply upgrading the power of the nuclear arsenal.

The report said Pakistan seems to be expanding its uranium enriching capability faster than ever before.