EDITORIAL: The Pakistani Foreign Office has rightly expressed grave concern at “recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale” of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India.
The reported arrests of three individuals in Bihar “for illegally possessing 50 grams of radioactive californium worth Indian rupees 8.5 billion” is not the first time such a serious security lapse has reached the headlines.
In 2021 also, as the Foreign Office pointed out, there were at least three instances of seizure of stolen radioactive materials, making this something of a trend in that country and justifying Islamabad’s calls for a thorough investigation into what is most likely a thriving black market for such goods in a very dangerous place at a very sensitive time for the region and the world.
It’s surprising, and also very revealing, that the many west-based nuclear watchdogs that usually light up on the slightest hint of such theft are quiet about this development so far. This is, no doubt, confirmation of the trend that they like to come down very hard on countries not aligned with their governments, but happily look the other way when a strategic partner is caught struggling with an embarrassing, and potentially very dangerous, security lapse.
Pakistan, for example, knows only too well how such accusations are used to put extra political pressure on governments. Because, throughout the frosty war-on-terror partnership with the west, primarily America, the safety of our nuclear installations and a potential black market for illegal materials was repeatedly thrust into the negotiations, without any proof, whenever Washington needed someone else to blame for its failures.
Regardless, what is happening in India ought to send shivers down spines all over the global security establishment. Illegal sale of illicit material, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is as dangerous a development as it comes. There can be no doubt that this theft feeds into a dirty market run by shady operators that are out to no good.
And the fact that the Indian government and its powerful backers are trying to keep a lid on this development is good for nobody. Everybody knows about the special soft corner that Washington created for Delhi ever since the George Bush administration gave it civilian nuclear technology and the Obama White House chose it as its strategic regional partner to counter China in the Pivot to Asia policy. But such partnerships should push all concerned parties to upgrade their infrastructures and make sure that all installations have fool proof safety protocols.
Clearly, that is not the case. Pakistan’s concerns should not be dismissed as the usual tit-for-tat that is always coming out of the subcontinent. We have seen the worst side of a deadly insurgency, after all, and know too well the potential game changing dangers of lethal weapons falling into the wrong hands.
Hopefully, the Indian government would already have launched a very serious investigation into this matter. But given that it’s been unable to control it, and this was the second such reported theft, they might need a little help from their friends and their well-equipped, well-funded agencies.
Think tanks have been war gaming a potential nuclear flashpoint in the subcontinent since the late 1990s. And a number of studies have focused on the fallout of just such instances of theft. It would be unwise to take this lightly, especially when the wider world is already sitting on a powder keg and there’s every chance of the two new wars of the 21st century spiraling out of control into much wider conflicts.
Regional governments, especially, should be taken on board immediately to ascertain if any materials have been smuggled across borders. Hopefully, this matter will not be politicised and a rational working arrangement will be reached before it is too late.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024