IAEA declares Pak nuclear program as safe

Islamabad, April 26: The International Atomic Energy Agency has declared Pakistan's nuclear program as safe and secure.

Talking on the sidelines of the “International seminar on nuclear safety and security” held in Islamabad from 21-23 April, IAEA Deputy Director General Denis Flory said that the agency emphasizes the importance of national responsibility for security, which Pakistan takes seriously.

In fact, Pakistan has had an Action Plan in place to strengthen nuclear security since 2006, The Nation quoted Flory, as telling a news agency.

Giving details of Pakistan’s Nuclear Security Action Plan (NSAP), he said that it covers items such as the Management of Radioactive Sources, Nuclear Security Emergency Co-ordination Center (NuSECC) and Locating and Securing Orphan Radioactive Sources.

Pakistan has worked with the IAEA both to implement that plan and to provide resources for its implementation, he maintained.

Flory also said that the IAEA has worked with Pakistan to provide detection instruments, to give “on the job training” to Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) staff, and to improve security at a number of Pakistani facilities using radioactive sources.

When asked about the future of the nuclear industry in the light of the Fukushima incident in Japan, Flory said that this industry’s future is not written down.

Source: New Kerala.
Link: http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-196920.html.