ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is “gravely concerned” about “recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale” of nuclear and other hazardous materials in India, the Foreign Office (FO) stated on Tuesday. The FO also criticized Pakistan for its continued security and safety shortcomings. Days after authorities detained three people in the Indian state of Bihar for allegedly unlawfully carrying 50 grams of radioactive calcium, valued at INR 8.5 billion, the statement was made, according to the Times of India (TOI).
Similar incidences in the past, such as the three reported cases of stolen radioactive material being seized in India in four months in 2021, have also caused Pakistan to voice alarm. In response to a question regarding the recent arrests, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was cited as saying in a news release, “Pakistan is gravely concerned at the reports of recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India.”
According to the news release, “In the most recent incident, a group of people were discovered in unlawful possession of a highly radioactive and toxic substance called californium, worth US$100 million in quantity.” It was noted that three cases of californium theft had also been documented in 2021 and that five people were detained last month in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, in connection with a radioactive device that had allegedly been taken from the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC).
Baloch said, “These repeated incidents raise doubts about the safety and security protocols implemented by New Delhi for nuclear and other radioactive material,” and they “suggest the existence of a black market for sensitive, dual-use materials inside India.” “The press release stated that the international community is sincerely seeking an explanation from the Indian authorities regarding how a sealed radioactive source (SRS) material, such as californium, came to be in the hands of the people who were arrested.”
Baloch described it as “dangerous” that such sensitive material was “routinely found in the wrong hands” in India and added that Pakistan has once again expressed its need for a full inquiry into these instances as well as for appropriate steps to stop them from happening again.
According to TOI, Californianium is a limited radioactive material used in cancer therapy, portable metal detectors, and nuclear power plants. India forbids the purchase or selling of it. Two guys were detained by Indian authorities in May 2021 for allegedly unlawfully possessing more than seven kilograms of natural uranium in the western state of Maharashtra. Jharkhand police made seven arrests and confiscated 6.4 kilograms of uranium from individuals within a month.
Four rocks that resembled minerals and weighed 250.5 grams each were thought to be Californianium in the third event of that year. The FO had denied Indian allegations in November 2021 regarding the finding of a possibly radioactive shipment on a ship that left Karachi. It made clear that empty containers that had once been used to transport fuel for the K-2 and K-3 nuclear power stations were included in the consignment.
