After the suicide attacks, it’s a question about Pakistan’s nukes
The assault by Islamic militants on the Pakistan army HQ is now raising fears that there could be similar attacks on Pakistani nukes. Pakistan has tried to protect these nuclear weapons from attacks by storing the warheads, detonators and missiles separately in facilities patrolled by elite troops. Some analysts now say the weapons are less secure than they were five years ago, and Saturday's attack showed a kind of hubris by the Pakistanis. Complex security is in place, yes, but it all depends on how vulnerable the Pakistani army is to infiltration by extremists, said a Western government official with access to information on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Others argue it’s more likely there would be militant sympathisers getting work at the facilities and passing information to the extremists. “It's not likely the Taliban are suddenly going to storm in and take control of the nuclear facilities,” said Gareth Price at London’s think tank Chatham House. Okay, so you can breathe again.
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