Pakistan expresses concern over uranium seizure in India

Safeguarding nuclear arsenals should be the top priority for all countries, says FO

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Saturday expressed serious concerns after reports emerged of uranium seizure from unauthorised persons in India.

On Friday, Indian police said it had seized over seven kilograms (15.4 pounds) of natural uranium and arrested two men in the western Maharashtra state for “illegally possessing” the highly radioactive substance.

Safeguarding nuclear arsenals should be top priority for all countries, said Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in a statement.

"There is need for a thorough investigation of the matter as to how such sizeable quantity of uranium could become available outside of state control and identify the gaps which made this possible" he further added.

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According to the anti-terrorism squad in India's Maharashtra state, the confiscated material is worth around $2.9 million and an investigation into the case is underway.

A case was registered after a report from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai confirmed the seized material is highly radioactive.

It is the second time in India that such a highly radioactive substance has been seized by police in recent years. In 2016, police seized almost 9 kg (19.8 lbs) of depleted uranium in the Thane area of Maharashtra.

Uranium is used in several areas, including nuclear explosives and medical techniques.