Nuclear Export Controls

Daily Times, December 28, 2005
Nuclear and biological weapons material: Pakistan issues fresh export control lists
By Umer Farooq

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday issued fresh lists of technologies and material related to nuclear and biological weapons which will be subject to strict export control.

Officials told Daily Times that the relevant government departments had taken several steps to strengthen export controls on nuclear material. The government has also issued a statutory regulatory order (SRO) for the implementation of export controls on goods, technologies, material and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery systems. It has sent a notification to all the departments concerned and law enforcement agencies for effective control at the frontiers. The lists of banned nuclear and biological materials have also been sent to manufacturers in the country. The lists have been notified pursuant to the Export Control Act passed by the parliament in September 2004.

Foreign Office officials said that the step indicated Pakistan’s commitment to nuclear export control and would highlight Pakistan’s policy to implement its national and international non-proliferation commitments.

Pakistan is planning to set up additional nuclear power plants to generate 8,800 megawatts of electricity by 2025 under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Pakistan has been in talks with various countries, including the United States and Japan, and international organisations on nuclear export control issues. Pakistani officials have received training in Japan for the strict implementation of nuclear export controls. A delegation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group visited Pakistan last year to examine its nuclear facilities when the latter applied for its membership. “The export control lists adopted by Pakistan encompass the lists and scope of export controls maintained by the NSG and the Australia Group, which relates to biological agents and toxins, and the Missile Technology Control Regime,” said a press statement.