Pakistan Has Nuclear Arms, Study Says

WASHINGTON — There is “convincing evidence” that Pakistan has finally developed nuclear weapons, leading to the possibility of a nuclear arms race with its longtime enemy India, according to a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published Tuesday.

It said the evidence includes production of highly enriched uranium, a key component of atomic weapons, and European reports of a clandestine effort by Pakistan officials to smuggle nuclear components out of West Germany, the report said.

Pakistan may be capable of producing two to four atomic weapons, said Leonard S. Spector, who wrote the report. “India responded to this challenge by continuing the quiet expansion of its nuclear weapons capabilities--which far overshadow Pakistan’s--while maintaining an ambiguous public stance concerning its nuclear intentions.”

Pakistan has not tested any nuclear weapons and continues to deny it has built them.

State Department spokesman Charles Redman said he had no comment on the findings.