The Soviet Union-Ukraines April 26, 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster was the worst ever 300-400 times more powerful than that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the US which resulted in a severe release of radioactivity following a massive power excursion that destroyed the reactor. Most deaths from the accident 56 direct deaths and 800,000 from the radiation exposure were caused by cancer and radiation poisoning. The radioactivity released at Chernobyl tended to be more long lived than that released by a bomb detonation. So even without using atomic bomb this technology can eliminate thousands of people through radiation exposure.
A critical observation of the history of nuclear accidents indicates that the US, Russia, India, France, and some other European countries do not possess a good track record; rather the United States and Russia top the list in countries where nuclear accidents have occurred. Americas biased attitude towards Pakistan can also be proved by scanning through the Indian record of nuclear accidents, including the theft of fissile material. This must also be seen in the context of US-India civil nuclear deal. India has reported at least 25 cases of missing radioactive materials. Nearly 20,000 radioactive sources are used throughout India of which about 900 are particularly worrisome.
The world that leaves no stone unturned in raising hue and cry over Pakistans nuclear and missile programs, about the security of nuclear assets and the possibility of going into the hands of terrorists must realise that not even a single such incident has ever been reported because of the highly professional work carried out by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority. It is not just Pakistan that is afflicted by security issues. No countrys nuclear assets are safe given the turbulent world we live in. Thus, media outlets should not conjure unwarranted frenzy about Pakistans nuclear assets which are protected by the Pakistan Army properly.
SHUMAILA RAJA
Rawalpindi
