US installing radiation detectors at Pak ports

The United States is installing radiation detectors at Pakistani ports to check proliferation of nuclear material and weapons of mass destruction to and from the country, a top US official on nuclear security has said.  

"We do work with Pakistan with the Department of Homeland Security, on Secure Freight Initiative, in putting radiation detectors in their ports. One port is done. Karachi is the second port. We're negotiating that type of work," said Thomas D'Agostino, the Under-Secretary for Nuclear Security.  

Also Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, D'Agostino refrained from giving much of the details at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday about what the US is doing in Pakistan in this regard, saying that these are of sensitive nature and could be deliberated only in a close door session.  

"We have our export controls experts who are in the process of working with Pakistan, on training on what to look for with respect to what comes into the country and goes out of the country," D'Agostino shared.  

"Pakistan has legislation in place as a nation to establish this type of capability and maintain it. They have developed their own lists of materials and advanced their lists of materials on things that they are looking for" he said.

Responding to a question from Congressman Niki Tsongas, D'Agostino agreed with a recent report by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Proliferation, which concluded that Pakistan as a focal point of WMD and terrorism.  

"We absolutely agree," he said.  

"From the standpoint of their programmes, we know that Pakistan are a highly professional group. They are well-trained; they understand the problem and the work they have cut out before them — in fact, the work the rest of the world has cut out before them, and they take these issues very seriously," D'Agostino added.  

"But we do work closely in many areas, as I said, with their port security, with export control work, and we have actually seen things taking place in-country which signifies that they've taken that seriously. Other details I will address later in closed session," D'Agostino said.  

"I would just add that collaboration of the Pakistani government with the United States is a sensitive matter in Pakistan. So what we do with them is best discussed elsewhere," said Michael Nacht, Assistant Defence Secretary for Global Strategic Affairs, who also testified before the Congressional committee.