DesiGuy
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US and UK diplomats feared Pakistan's nuclear material could fall into the hands of terrorists, the latest leaked classified US diplomatic cables reveal.
The documents, released by Wikileaks, warn that Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country's growing instability.
Meanwhile, the US State Department says it has "temporarily severed" one of its databases from a military network.
The move is part of efforts to stop another mass leak of diplomatic cables.
In one of the latest cables to be released by Wikileaks, senior UK Foreign Office official Mariot Leslie told US diplomats in September 2009 that Britain had "deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons".
In another cable seven months earlier, US ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson told Washington: "Our major concern is not having an Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but rather the chance someone working in government of Pakistan facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon."
Another cable concerning a US intelligence briefing in 2008 said: "Despite pending economic catastrophe, Pakistan is producing nuclear weapons at a faster rate than any other country in the world."
The US has condemned the Wikileaks disclosures as an attack on the world community.
However, it says international partnerships it had worked hard to build would withstand the challenge.
The latest cache of messages, published by the UK Guardian newspaper, shows that Russia shared US and UK concerns over Pakistan.
Yuri Korolev of the Russian foreign ministry told US officials in February that "Islamists are not only seeking power in Pakistan but are also trying to get their hands on nuclear materials".
"There are 120,000-130,000 people directly involved in Pakistan's nuclear and missile programmes. There is no way to guarantee that all are 100% loyal and reliable," he said.
He said that extremists were able to recruit more easily.
"Pakistan has had to hire people to protect nuclear facilities that have especially strict religious beliefs, and recently the general educational and cultural levels in Pakistan has been falling," he says in the cable.
BBC News - Leaks expose US and UK fears over Pakistan nuclear arms
The documents, released by Wikileaks, warn that Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country's growing instability.
Meanwhile, the US State Department says it has "temporarily severed" one of its databases from a military network.
The move is part of efforts to stop another mass leak of diplomatic cables.
In one of the latest cables to be released by Wikileaks, senior UK Foreign Office official Mariot Leslie told US diplomats in September 2009 that Britain had "deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons".
In another cable seven months earlier, US ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson told Washington: "Our major concern is not having an Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but rather the chance someone working in government of Pakistan facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon."
Another cable concerning a US intelligence briefing in 2008 said: "Despite pending economic catastrophe, Pakistan is producing nuclear weapons at a faster rate than any other country in the world."
The US has condemned the Wikileaks disclosures as an attack on the world community.
However, it says international partnerships it had worked hard to build would withstand the challenge.
The latest cache of messages, published by the UK Guardian newspaper, shows that Russia shared US and UK concerns over Pakistan.
Yuri Korolev of the Russian foreign ministry told US officials in February that "Islamists are not only seeking power in Pakistan but are also trying to get their hands on nuclear materials".
"There are 120,000-130,000 people directly involved in Pakistan's nuclear and missile programmes. There is no way to guarantee that all are 100% loyal and reliable," he said.
He said that extremists were able to recruit more easily.
"Pakistan has had to hire people to protect nuclear facilities that have especially strict religious beliefs, and recently the general educational and cultural levels in Pakistan has been falling," he says in the cable.
BBC News - Leaks expose US and UK fears over Pakistan nuclear arms
