Pakistan joins nuclear club

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 9

Pakistan joins nuclear club

Eaiacfai . 'I; Pakistan, has/Joined'- the group of about;a dozea technclogically . advanced nations, that ;'are selPrfiiaot in .lhe prodnction-/-of nuclear fuel f rom)natorai uranium, Munir Ahmad TChan,- chairman ; of Pakistanis; / Atomic Energy Cpmmissibn, has announced. ; ' A ■ nudrtu'-fiiri manufacturing plant rising' “abundant supplies of indigenous /uranium” 'had .been .XW> at Chashma, 1600 km north "iff Karachi, try . Pakistani nudear scientists, he Jdld < press cohfeiiesta.-:' •' . ' . V • ■’;- i -The. tievetopmient was . an illustration -of 'fhe peaesful nature of 'Raidstents •nne.foar prbgramme, he added; •:;Mr -Xhan/satti ; i that. - fudf from .- the plant been used nuclear power project for .• the last month, nroduciiig -electricity; tarMararin.- ; . •! Several West European

iirounfriss, Tndia/ fiH! -United. •; States, tend Canada’have ex- ! pressed dears that Pakistan ; will tene day explode a nudeaff device. ■■ These -doubts fltout .the direction of Pakistan’s; nucle;ar piDgramme / prompted •the United States . Goverte- ’ ment in'<April .last -year .to, 1 halt its economic aid to Pa- ■ kistan,/although’it ’Offered to : resume .it’ after the Soviet military intervention in Af- ; gh'ahistan.:- ; ■„> ’.’i / Mr JKlum' .toiteneaf’ihat an : tan with machinery and equipment jfer. nudear-power plant during 1973 and 1974 had been terminat'ea by Ca-nada-tefter lndia nnclftn'r-'dKvihftf' • \ ; njfrtSEhaih again Western-media reports about Pakistan making an “‘Lslamic bomb” ’ with' . assist-, ance. Pakistan was nof' importing uranium from teny country, he said. , '