Pakistan 'gravely' concerned over ‘recurring’ theft, sale incidents of nuclear materials in India

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Tuesday said it is “gravely” concerned over “recurring” incidents of theft and “illicit” sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in neighboring India.

"Pakistan is gravely concerned at the reports of recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Baloch said in a statement.

Her remarks come days after police arrested three individuals in India’s Bihar state for illegally possessing 50 grams of radioactive californium worth Indian rupees 8.5 billion (roughly $101 million).

“These recurring incidents call into question the measures taken by New Delhi for the safety and security of nuclear and other radioactive material," Baloch said.

Also, these incidents, she contended, suggest the existence of a “black market” for sensitive, dual use materials inside India.

“The international community seeks an earnest disclosure from the Indian authorities as to how a sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material, like Californium, was in the possession of the apprehended individuals," she went on to say.

Islamabad reiterated its call for a “thorough investigation of these incidents and for adequate measures to prevent their recurrence."

Californium is a restricted radioactive substance used in nuclear power plants, portable metal detectors, and the treatment of cancer. Its sale and purchase are prohibited in India, according to the Times of India.

There was no immediate reaction from New Delhi on Islamabad’s reaction.

-Similar incidents occurred in past

In the latest incident, Baloch highlighted that a gang of individuals was found in illegal possession of a highly radioactive and toxic substance Californium, worth US$100 million.

Three incidents of theft of Californium were also reported in 2021.

Last month, five individuals with a radioactive device reportedly stolen from Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), were also found from Dehradun, she charged.

In May 2021, Indian police arrested two persons in the western Maharashtra state for illegally possessing over seven kilograms of natural uranium.

Weeks after, Jharkhand police arrested seven people and seized 6.4 kilograms of uranium from their possession.

Pakistan and India are among a few select countries with nuclear arsenals. India joined the nuclear club long before Pakistan, in 1974, prompting Islamabad to follow suit.

Pakistan silently developed its own nuclear capability in the 1980s, when it was an ally of the US in the first Afghan war against the crumbling Soviet Union.

It did not conduct any nuclear tests for years. However, when India carried out a series of its own tests in 1999, it followed suit three weeks later with six tests in the remote Chaghi district near the Afghanistan-Iran border.