IAEA-Pakistan: Remarkable cooperation

2026-02-23 - 21:34

PAKISTAN has maintained a professional relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency. As a founding member, it has fulfilled its commitments to the Agency since its inception. The agency assists in advancing and maintaining the safety and security of member states’ civilian nuclear infrastructure. Though the Agency is discreetly monitoring the country’s civilian program, it frequently praises and publicises Pakistani scientists’ skills and expertise to ensure the safety and security of nuclear power plants. The nuclear energy’s potential for civilian use has been realized from the outset. However, the dual use of nuclear technology and material alarmed the proliferation of nuclear weapons, resulting in a cautious approach to the transfer of nuclear technology and material for peaceful purposes. The United States Atomic Energy Act of 1954 authorized the transfer of nuclear technology and material for peaceful purposes. The probability of nuclear weapons proliferation as a by-product of nuclear cooperation for the promotion of peaceful use of nuclear technology under bilateral as well as multilateral arrangements resulted in the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1957. Since its establishment, the IAEA has emerged as an important international institution that thwarts the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons. The IAEA promotes and facilitates the peaceful use of nuclear energy and concurrently implements safeguards to prevent the diversion of nuclear materials and technology for military purposes. The safeguard mechanism is meant to ensure that recipient states of nuclear technology and material from nuclear supplier states do not misuse nuclear energy assistance for military programs. Pakistan has kept a clear distinction between its military and civilian nuclear programs. It has not used the civilian nuclear facility built and operated with the assistance of external assistance for military purposes. It is an open secret that India violated its commitment with the IAEA in 1974 by diverting nuclear spent fuel from its CIRUS reactor to manufacture nuclear devices. Pakistan closely works with the IAEA, which has assisted the country in nuclear power generation, industrial development, healthcare and agricultural advancements. In February 2025, the IAEA Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, visited Pakistan to further cooperation between the IAEA and PAEC. During his meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, he discussed the role of nuclear energy in climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as in financing nuclear power and the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Islamabad endorses and supports the IAEA objectives and new initiatives to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—such as ‘Atoms for Food, which leverages nuclear technology to enhance agricultural productivity; Rays of Hope, focusing on improving cancer care; and Atoms for Climate Change, which promotes the application of nuclear technology for sustainable development. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the IAEA headquarters at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) in Vienna, Austria, on February 18, 2026. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the IAEA’s role in the promotion of responsible use of nuclear technology in areas such as cancer diagnosis and treatment, agriculture, nuclear power generation and industrial applications. In his presence, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed an agreement to designate the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL) in Lahore as an IAEA collaborating centre. Pakistan has sought to increase nuclear power generation despite denying the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) nuclear technology and materials assistance over the last two decades. In 2005, the government mandated that the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) install 8,800 MW of nuclear power capacity by 2030. In 2014, the government announced that, under the Nuclear Energy Vision 2050, an official development plan, nuclear power would generate up to 40,000 megawatts of electricity. Pakistan maintains an advanced civilian nuclear energy program, which is under the safeguards of the IAEA. Presently, Pakistan operates six nuclear power reactors—two at Karachi and four at the Chashma nuclear power plant near Mianwali in Punjab, 250 kilometres south of Islamabad. These six nuclear power plants operate under the IAEA safeguards. These plants contribute over 3,530MW (17 per cent of the country’s electricity) to the national grid, a testament to the country’s progress in nuclear energy. Pakistan started construction of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-5 (C-5) in July 2023, funded by $3.7 billion in Chinese aid. The C-5, a third-generation Chinese Hualong pressurised-water reactor, will be the country’s largest nuclear power plant and will add 1,200 MW of clean energy to the national grid by 2030. C-5 also operates under the strict monitoring and safeguards of the IAEA. The completion and operation of C-5 will be another milestone in the pursuit of clean energy. The IAEA’s continuous monitoring and impartial assessment documentation are in Pakistan’s interest. Islamabad has used the IAEA’s reports in nullifying India’s frequent malicious propaganda against Pakistan’s nuclear program safety and security. For instance, in May 2025, the Indian media circulated concocted stories about the release of nuclear radiation in the country. Immediately, the IAEA confirmed that “no radiation leakage or incident has been detected at any nuclear site in Pakistan.” To conclude, Pakistan is not only a beneficiary of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme but has also contributed to its work by providing experts, conducting international training for its member states and supporting IAEA-SDGs initiatives. Islamabad has always cooperated with the monitors in inspecting and reviewing nuclear facilities under the IAEA safeguards, demonstrating its strong cooperation with the Agency. —The writer is Prof at the School of Politics and IR, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. (jaspal_99@hotmail.com)