Pakistan urges equitable access to peaceful nuclear technology at UN

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WASHINGTON: Pakistan has called for equitable and non-discriminatory access to peaceful nuclear technology, urging countries to resolve outstanding safeguards issues through dialogue and diplomacy and avoid politicising non-proliferation concerns. The call came as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi told the UN General Assembly on Friday that global nuclear power capacity could more than triple by 2060, driven by rising electrification, artificial intelligence data centres and technology companies’ demand for reliable, carbon-free electricity. Speaking during the General Assembly’s plenary discussion on the IAEA report, Pakistan’s Counsellor Syed Atif Raza reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the agency’s mandate and its role in promoting the safe, secure and sustainable use of nuclear science and technology for development. Mr Grossi said more than 400 operating reactors in over 30 countries generated around 10 per cent of global electricity in 2025 and one-quarter of its low-carbon electricity. More than 60 new reactors are under construction, while projections for future nuclear capacity have risen substantially. Mr Raza stressed that the IAEA’s mandate should be implemented in a balanced manner, including its responsibility to promote peaceful nuclear applications. He said restrictions on civilian nuclear cooperation should not prevent developing countries from benefiting from technology essential to their economic progress. A founding member of the IAEA, Pakistan has cooperated with the agency since 1957, contributing to and benefiting from its Technical Cooperation Programme. Mr Raza cited the country’s work in training, technical expertise and capacity-building, as well as projects involving nuclear safety, healthcare, water management, agriculture and human resource development. Pakistan operates six nuclear power reactors, all under IAEA safeguards, which supply approximately 20pc of its energy needs and one-third of its low-carbon electricity generation, he said. Mr Grossi descri­bed nuclear power as an increasingly important component of national energy security. He said its expansion reflected not only rising electricity consumption but also the need for dependable, low-carbon supplies to support energy-intensive technologies. He compared nuclear energy with solar power and desc­ribed it as safer than other energy options. “The removal of barriers for gaining equitable and non-discriminatory access to civil nuclear cooperation is of fundamental importance,” Mr Raza said, reaffirming the right of all countries to use nuclear energy peacefully in accordance with their international legal obligations. The question of access, however, remains intertwined with safeguards and non-proliferation disputes. Mr Raza said compliance concerns should be addressed through the IAEA’s competent technical mechanisms, without politicisation and in accordance with the rights and obligations of the parties concerned. Iran featured prominently in Mr Grossi’s assessment. He said the technical groundwork necessary for a diplomatic agreement over the country’s nuclear programme had been completed and urged the parties to return to negotiations. “I call on the parties to redouble their efforts towards agreeing a diplomatic solution that includes the IAEA’s indispensable verification role, without which no agreement can be sustainable,” he told the General Assembly. He added that IAEA inspectors must be able to return to Iran promptly to carry out the agency’s verification work. Mr Raza warned that destabilising rhetoric and actions could heighten tensions and increase the risk of conflict, calling for outstanding issues to be resolved through diplomacy while preserving regional and international peace and security. Mr Grossi also raised concerns about North Korea’s expanding nuclear programme, which operates without IAEA oversight. He said the programme demonstrated the consequences of violating UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting nuclear weapons development. In Ukraine, he described the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, as precarious because of repeated losses of external electricity supplies, limited backup diesel supplies and military activity threatening the facility and its staff. Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2026

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