Pakistan’s nuclear program is one of the safest in the world. Despite being a nuclear power, Pakistan has demonstrated more constraint and a higher sense of responsibility when compared with other nuclear powers. There has never been any case of uranium theft in Pakistan whereas its neighbor India has been the hotspot for the uranium black market. Pakistan’s nuclear program is extensively used for socioeconomic development, and the betterment of mankind, and its nuclear weapons program is for deterrence only. Pakistan’s nuclear program has never been a menace to humanity whereas America, whose president recently regarded Pakistan’s nuclear program or Pakistan as the most dangerous nuclear country, has already committed genocide in Japan and has continuously threatened all the countries of the world, even Europe to maintain primacy over the world. Pakistan’s civilian nuclear program comprises is the dominant aspect of Pakistan’s nuclear program. This civil nuclear program received appreciation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Pakistan has always been aware of the use and benefits of nuclear technology in the civilian sector. Nuclear technology has been used in medicine, agriculture, Education, and power or dealing with climate change. In various aspects, it contributes to the well-being of people and ultimately to the achievement of sustainable development goals. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was established in 1956 with the main objective of promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy in various civilian sectors of Pakistan. In the 1970s, the first-ever nuclear power plant named KANNUP with a generating capacity of 135 MWe was set up by PAEC in Karachi; it was also the first nuclear power plant in the undeveloped or developing world. Next came KANNU-II and KANNUP-III, in addition to the four nuclear power plants Chashma-CHASNUPP-I, CHASNUPP-II, CHASNUPP-III, and CHASNUPP-IV. Additional power plants at Chashma and Muzaffargarh are being considered to be built by PAEC. PAEC aims to achieve nuclear power generation of about 8800 MW by 2030. In the field of agriculture, Pakistan has made remarkable improvements, uses nuclear energy, and is working intensively on biotechnology. PAEC is effectively working on the use of nuclear technology in agriculture by introducing various technologies for pest control, and plant nutrition, in collaboration with the IAEA, PAEC has developed numerous institutes which include the National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biotechnology ( NIAB), Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA), Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA); these institutes are constantly working to increase the productivity of the agricultural sector in Pakistan. PAEC’s main research and development institute is PINSTECH, which provides balanced research on the peaceful uses of nuclear technology to facilitate the needs of the future. For years, PINSTECH has been effectively contributing to the achievement of the country’s socioeconomic development goal in various areas. PIAS institute comes among the 500 top institutions of the world and is ranked 269. Pakistan has successfully operated nuclear power plants for quite some time now. It has a clean record of the security and safety of nuclear materials. Pakistan has ratified and complies with the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPNMM) and UN Resolution 1540; The IAEA and other global nuclear watchdogs have admired the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear materials for years. Pakistan saw the biggest improvement in theft rankings in the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s (NTI) Nuclear Security Index 2020, seeing a seven-point increase in its overall score. According to the details, Pakistan improved by 25 points in the Security and Control Measures category thanks to its new security legislation and has also gained one point in the Global Standards category. In addition, Pakistan’s security and control measures have steadily increased with an eight-point gain in 2014, a two-point increase in 2016, and a six-point improvement in 2018 after it introduced new laws. Pakistan also enacted new cyber security laws in 2016 and strengthened protections against insider threats in 2018. The new laws also represent a significant change in its security.
Note that Pakistan’s 25-point improvement was the second-highest of any country since the index was first launched in 2012. A mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), March 2022, said that the new and updated nuclear safety regulations in Pakistan have significantly updated and strengthened the country’s nuclear and radiation safety. In conclusion, the foolproof security of Pakistan’s nuclear program is a reality and Pakistan has gone above and beyond to ensure that making it an exemplary nuclear power.