Pakistan ratifies nuclear material protection pact

Pakistan on Monday ratified an international agreement for the safety of its nuclear material, a foreign ministry statement said.

Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998 in a tit-for-tat reaction to those by rival India.

"Pakistan has ratified the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM)," the statement said.

The original CPPNM, which entered into force on February 8, 1987, was a legally binding international instrument in the area of physical protection of nuclear material. It establishes measures related to the prevention, detection and punishment of offences related to nuclear material.

On July 8, 2005, States Parties to the CPPNM adopted by consensus an Amendment to the CPPNM which expands the scope of the convention to cover nuclear facilities and nuclear material in peaceful use, storage and international as well as domestic transportation.

The Instrument of Ratification was signed by President Mamnoon Hussain on the advice of the prime minister, it added.

Earlier, in its meeting held on February 24, 2016, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the National Command Authority (NCA) gave its approval in principle for the ratification of the Amended Convention.

"The ratification of the 2005 Amendment to the CPPNM is a reaffirmation of Pakistan's commitment to the objective of nuclear security and reinforces Pakistan's credentials as a responsible nuclear state," the statement said.

"It demonstrates Pakistan's confidence in its national nuclear security regime which is at par with the latest international standards in the field," it said.