Pakistan Admits New Reactor Is For Military Purpose

In a dangerous revelation which put a big questioning mark over the safety of majority of population in South Asia, Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S. has acknowledged that a major new Pakistani plutonium nuclear reactor under construction at Khushab will be used for military purposes.

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) had reported last month that Pakistan is building a second heavy water production reactor inside the Khushab complex that could enable the production of up to 50 nuclear weapons a year.

Following the publication of the ISIS report, the White House revealed it had long known about Pakistan’s plans to develop a large plutonium production reactor.

On one hand Pakistan has shown signs of a hidden nuclear agenda and on the other hand it has sought a civil nuclear deal similar to the one President George W. Bush signed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 18, 2005. Islamabad cites its dire need for energy. Washington, however, has rejected this plea while pointing to Pakistan’s poor nuclear proliferation record.