WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- Pakistan is building a nuclear reactor that will increase its ability to manufacture nuclear weapons by 20 times, the Washington Post reported Monday.
[~Commercially available]...Satellite photos of the Khushab nuclear site show a partially completed heavy-water reactor capable of producing enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, which officials with the Institute for Science and International Security said raises fresh concerns about the decades-old rivalry between Pakistan and India.
India currently has an estimated 30 to 35 plutonium warheads, while Pakistan is believed to have 30 to 50 uranium warheads, the newspaper said.
After comparing a sequence of satellite photos beginning 2000, ISIS analysts told the Post the new reactor was likely still 'a few years' from completion.
A senior Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the expanded program includes 'some civilian nuclear power and some military components.'
story | Monster & Critics
~Iran Iran Iran Iran Iran
>Update Aug 7, 2006 Pakistan Nuclear Report Disputed
Last week, The New York Times quoted the US National Security Council spokesman, Frederick Jones, as saying that Isis analysis was wrong.
"After assessing the Isis findings, the US government experts believe that the reactor is expected to be substantially smaller and less capable than reported," he said. | BBC