IAEA completes first-ever nuclear security review of Pakistan: what the IPPAS mission found

Key takeaways

• The IAEA's International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) finished its first-ever mission to Pakistan on Friday, 9 October, after a 12-day review in Islamabad.
• The expert team found that Pakistan has a robust regime for the physical protection of nuclear material and facilities, and that the framework was appropriately implemented at the facility it visited.
• The team also made recommendations to tighten security rules and procedures and noted several good practices at regulator and facility level.
• The mission was hosted by the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) at the government's request.
• Findings are peer advice, not a legal ruling: IPPAS missions compare a country's system with international guidance and suggest improvements.

What happened

An IAEA team of seven experts spent 12 days assessing Pakistan's legislative and regulatory framework for nuclear security, covering nuclear materials and facilities. It met officials from the PNRA, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and other national bodies, and visited the Kanupp Decommissioning Project at the Karachi Nuclear Power Generating Station. That reactor, Pakistan's first nuclear power plant, ran from 1971 until its permanent shutdown in 2021, so the visit let the team see decommissioning work and spent-fuel storage.

The team was led by Khammar Mrabit, a former head of Morocco's nuclear safety and security agency, and included experts from China, Romania, Russia and Slovakia plus two IAEA staff, according to Dawn's report of the IAEA press release.

What each side said

Background

IPPAS missions are voluntary. A state invites international experts, who observe physical protection systems, compare them with good practice and make recommendations at national and facility level. Dawn notes Pakistan is a party to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and ratified its 2005 amendment in 2016. Dawn also reports that the PNRA and the IAEA wrapped up a separate five-day workshop on commercial-grade nuclear equipment.

What to watch

• The report. The IAEA normally shares detailed findings with the host state; how much is published is up to Pakistan.
• Follow-up. Watch whether the PNRA announces changes to rules or procedures in response to the recommendations.
• Wider context. Reviews like this can matter for Pakistan's standing in international nuclear cooperation, but no specific new agreement was announced alongside this mission.