NUCLEAR WATCHDOG GIVES PAKISTAN A QUALIFIED VOTE OF CONFIDENCE AFTER LANDMARK SECURITY REVIEW
October 10, 2026
Pakistan has received a positive assessment of its nuclear security arrangements from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has described the country’s system for protecting nuclear materials and facilities as robust following its first-ever International Physical Protection Advisory Service mission to the country.
The seven-member expert team completed a 12-day review on October 9 after arriving at the request of the Pakistani government. Conducted between September 28 and October 9, the mission examined Pakistan’s legal and regulatory framework for nuclear security and assessed physical protection arrangements at a nuclear facility.
The mission was hosted by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA), working in coordination with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and other relevant national organisations. The IAEA said the nuclear security framework was being appropriately implemented at the facility visited and noted that periodic reviews contributed to its continuing improvement. The country’s training and capacity-building infrastructure was also recognised for developing nuclear security expertise at national, regional and international levels.
As part of the assessment, the experts visited the KANUPP Decommissioning Project at the Karachi Nuclear Power Generating Station. The site houses Pakistan’s first nuclear power plant, a Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor that began operating in 1971 and was permanently shut down in 2021. The team observed decommissioning activities and the storage of spent nuclear fuel.
The mission was led by Khammar Mrabit, former director general of Morocco’s Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security. The international team included experts from China, Romania, Russia and Slovakia, alongside two IAEA staff members. Their work involved discussions with Pakistani regulatory officials, nuclear installation representatives and other stakeholders.
Despite its positive overall assessment, the review was not simply a certification exercise. The IAEA team made recommendations and suggestions intended to strengthen Pakistan’s nuclear security arrangements, legal and regulatory procedures, and facility-level practices. It also identified several examples of good practice within the country’s regulatory system and at the facility visited.
IAEA Deputy Director General Karine Herviou welcomed the successful completion of the mission, describing it as an indication of Pakistan’s commitment to improving the regulatory and operational aspects of its established nuclear security framework. She also highlighted the country’s contribution to developing skills within the nuclear security workforce.
PNRA chairman Zia Hussain Shah said the review provided a useful baseline for further improvements in the country’s legal framework, regulatory oversight and practical security arrangements. Pakistan presented the exercise as an opportunity to strengthen international cooperation and reinforce its commitment to the safe and secure use of nuclear technology.
The International Physical Protection Advisory Service is an IAEA peer-review programme designed to help countries improve the protection of nuclear and other radioactive materials, associated facilities and related activities. It offers independent advice on the implementation of international agreements and the agency’s guidance on nuclear security. The Pakistan assessment was the programme’s 112th mission since its establishment in 1995.
Pakistan is a party to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and ratified its 2005 Amendment in 2016. The latest mission represents a significant step in its engagement with international nuclear-security review mechanisms, although the recommendations indicate that continued assessment and improvement remain part of the process.
The findings carry importance beyond Pakistan, given the international consequences of any failure to protect nuclear materials and facilities. The IAEA’s assessment provides a positive appraisal of the arrangements examined during the mission, while its recommendations underscore the need for sustained vigilance, effective regulation and continuous improvement in nuclear security.
