Pakistan Security Research Unit (PSRU) Brief Number 22
The Security of Nuclear Weapons in Pakistan

Professor Shaun Gregory Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford
First published 18th November 2007. Reproduced with permission of author to illustrate address to U K Defence Forum 7 July 2008. All rights reserved. See foot of article for more information.

Introduction

Pakistan is once again in crisis following the declaration of a state of emergency on the night of 3rd November 2007, as political unrest spreads, tensions within the armed forces and security services grow, and terrorist/extremist groups increase their violent opposition to the state. In this turbulent context the situation of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, numbered as many as 120 by some sources, is of the utmost concern given the incalculable consequences if nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons components came into the hands of extremists/terrorists or, just possibly, of renegade Pakistani military personnel motivated by antipathy to the West. This briefing paper assesses the measures Pakistan has in place to ensure the security of its nuclear weapons and the threat posed to that security by the deteriorating situation in Pakistan.

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By Professor Shaun Gregory, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford,

First published in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism October 2007.
Reproduced by kind permission of the author to illustrate address to U K Defence Forum 7 July 2008.
All rights reserved - see also foot of article

Pakistan's Directorate of Inter-Service Intelligence [ISI] plays an ambiguous role in the War on Terrorism. An important ally for Western intelligence with whom it has very close links, the ISI also has a long history of involvement in supporting and promoting terrorism in the name of Pakistan's geostrategic interests. This article explores the nature of the ISI and its aims and objectives in the post-9/11 era. It argues that the focus of the ISI's actions are to shore up Pakistan's ruling elite and to destabilize Pakistan's enemies by the promotion of Sunni Islamism at home and of pan-Islamist jihad abroad.

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