Pakistan has ‘robust’ nuclear security regime: IAEA

Pakistan has established a “robust nuclear security regime” for protecting nuclear material and facilities, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said after completing its first physical protection advisory mission to the country.

A seven-member IAEA team concluded a 12-day International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission on Friday, conducted from September 28 to October 9 at the request of the Pakistani government.

Hosted by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA), the mission reviewed the country’s legislative and regulatory framework for nuclear security and assessed physical protection measures at a nuclear facility.

“The IPPAS team noted that Pakistan has established a robust nuclear security regime for physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities, which was observed to be appropriately implemented at the facility visited,” the IAEA said in a statement.

It said the regime is continually improved through periodic reviews, while Pakistan’s capacity-building infrastructure contributes to nuclear security expertise at the national, regional and international levels.

The team met officials from the PNRA, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and other stakeholders and visited the KANUPP Decommissioning Project at the Karachi Nuclear Power Generating Station.

Pakistan’s first nuclear power plant, the Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor, began operations in 1971 and was permanently shut down in 2021. Experts observed ongoing decommissioning activities and spent-fuel storage at the site.

The mission was led by Khammar Mrabit, former director general of the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security, and included experts from China, Romania, Russia and Slovakia, besides two IAEA staff members.

The IAEA said the team made recommendations and suggestions to further strengthen Pakistan’s nuclear security regime and associated procedures while also identifying several good practices at the regulatory and facility levels.

“The first IPPAS mission in Pakistan is completed successfully, marking the country’s commitment to further enhancing regulatory and operational aspects of its well-established nuclear security regime,” IAEA Deputy Director General Karine Herviou said.

She also commended Pakistan’s contribution to developing the skills of the nuclear security workforce, saying it had a “far-reaching impact”.

PNRA Chairman Zia Hussain Shah said hosting the mission underscored Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining a robust nuclear security regime and that the experts’ findings provided a baseline for further strengthening its legal and regulatory framework and facility-level practices.

The mission was the 112th IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the programme began in 1995.

IPPAS missions assist countries in strengthening their national nuclear security regimes by providing peer advice on implementing international instruments and IAEA guidance for protecting nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities.

Pakistan is a party to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and ratified its 2005 Amendment in 2016.