US watchdog group: Pakistan boosting nuke program

Satellite images show that Pakistan is building a new nuclear reactor that can produce weapons-grade plutonium, an American watchdog group said Thursday, warning that it could contribute to an atomic arms race with archrival India. A picture taken June 3 shows work progressing rapidly on the reactor at the Khushab nuclear site, 170 kilometers southwest of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, the Institute of Science for International Security said. The development of the reactor and other nuclear-related activities "imply" that Pakistan has decided to "increase significantly its production of plutonium for nuclear weapons," the Washington-based institute said in a report analyzing the images.