In terms of handling weapons-usable nuclear materials, Pakistan was placed higher than India, North Korea, and Iran by a global security group.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a US-based organization dedicated to decreasing nuclear and biological dangers to humanity, has released the ranking, which shows Pakistan has gained three points since the last evaluation in 2020 to clinch 19th place on the list of 22 states.
According to the rating, Pakistan has a total score of 49, which is greater than India’s 40, Iran’s 29, and North Korea’s 18.
It revealed that Pakistan, along with Russia and Israel, placed 32 in terms of the security of its nuclear facilities, whereas India, Iran, Mexico, South Africa, and several other countries ranked higher.
The index, however, cautioned that worldwide nuclear security was eroding. “After years of reporting on nuclear security progress, the NTI Nuclear Security Index finds that nuclear security conditions are regressing in the dozens of countries and areas with weapons-usable nuclear materials and nuclear facilities for the first time in 2023,” it stated.
It further stated that several countries, including Pakistan, were increasing their stockpiles of weapon-grade materials.
“Eight countries — France, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United Kingdom — have increased their stocks of weapons-usable nuclear materials, in some cases by thousands of kilograms per year, undermining minimization and elimination efforts and increasing the risk of theft,” the report stated. “Countries are also breaking their commitments to confidence building and information sharing, which were key drivers of progress during the Nuclear Security Summits.”
The 2023 NTI Index contains a separate Radioactive Source Security Assessment, which evaluates national policies, promises, and activities to protect radioactive sources and prevent a dirty bomb in 175 nations plus Taiwan. The assessment does not grade or rank countries or regions.
The Nuclear Threat Index (NTI) is a groundbreaking assessment of nuclear security situations in countries and regions around the world. It was created in collaboration with Economist Impact (EI) and uses publicly available data to track progress on nuclear and radiological security across countries.
