Hira Bashir
Nuclear security is a job that nobody notices when it works. If nothing goes wrong, nothing is reported. Yet this quiet work depends on years of planning, training and trust. Pakistan’s partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a good example.
A quick note on terms. Nuclear safety protects people from accidents. Nuclear security protects nuclear material from theft or attack. Both matter, and this article is about the second.
It began in 2005. That year, Pakistan and the IAEA signed a Nuclear Security Cooperation Programme to strengthen Pakistan’s security system. The first steps were practical. By 2014, security had been improved at 15 nuclear medical centres that hold dangerous radioactive sources. These centres are hospitals. So the programme protected patients and staff, not only nuclear plants.
Locks and cameras are not enough, though. People run them. A well-trained guard spots a problem early. An untrained one may miss it. That is why Pakistan built a Centre of Excellence for nuclear security. It works through three institutions: the Pakistan Centre of Excellence for Nuclear Security (PCENS), the National Institute of Safety and Security (NISAS) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS). Each one trains people in a different way, but all three serve one goal.
NISAS trains security staff. The IAEA has taken notice. In 2022, it named NISAS an IAEA Collaborating Centre. Experts from Pakistan and the IAEA now teach together at Pakistani venues, with students from Pakistan and other member countries. In May 2024, the IAEA and PCENS signed a Practical Arrangement to expand this training in the region. Pakistan has also hosted the annual meeting of the IAEA’s network of nuclear security support centres. It was the first time the meeting was held outside Vienna. The IAEA chief has also visited and praised the standard of the Centre. So Pakistan now helps train others, not just itself.
Good training also needs a good regulator. The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) checks the nuclear facilities. If the regulator is careless, the facilities will be careless too. PNRA understood this after the Fukushima accident. It chose to assess its own safety culture, using an IAEA method, so it could set an example for the facilities it supervises. It is now working to bring safety culture and security culture together.
What is “security culture”? It is simply a habit. Staff follow the rules even when nobody is watching. They report small problems early. This matters because a strong culture is critical for preventing theft or sabotage at nuclear facilities. Rules written on paper cannot do that alone.
Habits start in the classroom. In 2009, PIEAS began a nuclear security specialisation within its MS Nuclear Engineering programme. By 2016, 72 students had completed it. Later, new teaching labs were set up at PIEAS with help from the IAEA and PNRA. Graduates say the training made security a natural part of how they work. This links university teaching to daily practice.
All this effort connects to something simple: public trust. In September 2026, Pakistan told the IAEA Board of Governors that it remains committed to international standards of nuclear safety and security. It also pointed to five decades of safe and secure operation of its nuclear installations. People accept nuclear power, medicine and farming tools when they believe these are secure. Without trust, even a safe programme faces doubt. Security protects the benefits. Pakistan reports 83 nuclear medicine and radiotherapy facilities across the country, and these depend on that trust.
Three steps can build on this record.
First, speak openly. Pakistan has already published a document describing its nuclear security system. Updating it regularly will help others understand it.
Second, plan for new technology. Small and micro reactors are coming. Some may be placed in remote areas, closer to users. That raises fresh questions about guarding them, so security must be designed in from the start. Pakistan’s training centres can prepare people for this early.
Third, keep investing in people. Equipment gets old. Trained and careful staff do not. Staff also retire, so new engineers must be trained every year. The IAEA’s courses can help with this.
Pakistan has also asked for the removal of barriers to fair access to international civil nuclear cooperation. Its record with the IAEA supports that request. A country that trains others and works openly with the Agency shows it can be a reliable partner. The journey is not finished, but its direction is clear: more training, more openness and a stronger everyday habit of security.
Hira Bashir is associate research officer at CISS AJK, working on peaceful use of nuclear technology.
