Abdul Mannan, Director, Transport and Waste Safety, PNRA, Stimson Center Visiting Fellow

Although an act of nuclear terrorism is of very remote probability in Pakistan, nevertheless, an attempt has been made to review the pre and post 9/11 threat of nuclear terrorism and its impact on Pakistan. A hypothetical case study has been made of a sabotage on radioactive consignments during transportation within the city of Karachi and Lahore and possible consequences were assessed using Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) computer code. Pakistan’s response to nuclear terrorism and the further need of improvements has been discussed. The controls around various nuclear installations and radiation facilities in Pakistan are enough to deter and delay a terrorist attack and any modified diversion would be detected in early stages. Therefore, fabrication of a Radiological Dispersion Device (RDD) and WMD is not very attractive to a terrorist group in general and specifically within the context of Pakistan.