London: Pakistan is expanding its uranium-enrichment and plutonium production facilities, triggering fears that it may become the 5th largest nuclear-weapon state and have 220 to 250 warheads within the next seven years, a report has said.
The report published on August 31 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists authored by members of the Federation of American Scientists says that Pakistan was also developing several delivery systems.
“Pakistan continues to expand its nuclear arsenal with more warheads, more delivery systems, and a growing fissile materials production industry… We estimate that the country’s stockpile could… grow to 220 to 250 warheads by 2025, if the current trend continues,” the 12-page report noted.
The report first appeared in Jane’s Defence Weekly, a London-based magazine that reports on military and corporate affairs, on Wednesday.
— IANS
