Top United States nuclear scientists have shockingly revealed in a report that Pakistan is enhancing its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.
According to the report, which is yet to enter the public domain, Pakistan is readying a new nuclear capable ballistic missile for deployment and two nuclear capable cruise missiles.
It also says that Pakistan is building two new plutonium production reactors and a second chemical separation facility at Chasma, Khushab and Dera Ghazi Khan in southern Punjab.
Pakistan is also renewing work on a partially built separation plant at Chasma.
It is believed that this secretive and substantial arsenal build-up is targeted at India.
Based on official estimates of Pakistan's current uranium and plutonium technology, scientists had so far thought the country didn't have as many as 100 nuclear warheads in its kitty.
The new report, however, suggests that Pakistan has exceeded earlier estimates, and from being able to build 30-40 nuclear weapons, it actually could possess as many as 70-90 -- a disturbing figure from India's point of view and that of the US, which is currently debating increasing the financial and military aid to its friend.
Moreover, if this report is true, Pakistan is clearly going beyond the moratorium existing as an unwritten code of conduct in south Asia, to halt the arms race.
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