International Nuclear Order is largely defined as the covenant of international treaties, governing institutions and other legal frameworks associated with nuclear technology regulation. However, what sustains it goes beyond the legally binding instruments to state behavior and shared norms. The perception of a state’s responsible nuclear behavior is shaped by these norms which eventually influence its conduct and global partnerships. A constructivist vantage point defines this phenomenon in terms of fluidity where norms keep evolving. Changes in security realities and global political trends as well as technological developments, are some of the many impetuses contributing to the evolution of norms. This transition manifests the evolution of the traditional nonproliferation regime into a more intricate framework.
The Norm Life Cycle explains different stages of normative evolution. At first, the norm entrepreneurs enable the emergence of norms by promoting novel standards of behavior. After those standards gain legitimacy, they enter the cascade stage where they are disseminated across the international system. When those norms are internalized and cemented at the international level, they eventually become a trend to be considered as legitimate conduct. To demonstrate, the global nonproliferation regime serves a pertinent example where the treaty underwent a significant normative evolution. The Articles I and II of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) obligated the prevention of nuclear weapons. However, the Post-Cold War changes in the security environment challenged the normative construction of the NPT. Advances in dual-use technologies and the globalization of trade were the exposing factors. As a response, the broader global institutional nonproliferation required translation to responsible state-centric nonproliferation. States were expected to enhance their nuclear safety and security frameworks and adopt United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 to strengthen export control regimes. Such initiatives necessitated the creation of strong domestic controls to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The norm of peaceful use is another normative evolution the nuclear nonproliferation regime has witnessed. Article IV of the NPT ordains the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Again, this norm of peaceful usage intent was insufficient. With the tragic nuclear accidents at Three-Mile Island, Fukushima, and Chornobyl, the transboundary consequences of nuclear accidents became obvious. This led to the transition of the norm of peaceful use to the safe, secure and safeguarded and sustainable one too. This norm has become a responsible behavior in the shape of emergency preparedness, radioactive waste management, and the independence of regulatory oversight. The role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gained prominence to ensure this through the development of global standards and promotion of cooperation among states.
The third evolution is about nuclear disarmament. According to Article VI of the NPT, states parties to the NPT are obliged to negotiate in good faith on practical steps relating to nuclear disarmament. Bilateral cuts have been large since the end of the Cold War, but nuclear weapons have not been eliminated. The global discourse has stressed the concept of responsible nuclear restraint. Together with the long-term aim of elimination. More attention has been paid to practical measures, including arms control agreements, strategic equilibrium dialogs, confidence-building measures, transparency-based initiatives and nuclear risk reduction. Such measures are not alternatives to the goal of disarmament; they are a way to reduce nuclear risks in the interim, while keeping the long-term objective envisioned in Article VI intact.
The continuing development of these norms is a reflection that responsible nuclear conduct today is light years away from the original obligations in the NPT. States are now judged not only on their treaty commitments but also on how effectively they put international standards into practice for safety, security, safeguards, controls on exports and the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
Pakistan’s interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency is a practical reflection of this larger normative evolution. Pakistan has been an inaugural member of the IAEA since 1957 and has been participating in the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Program for almost seven decades. It is one of the Agency’s longest-standing technical cooperation partnerships with projects in nuclear power, health care, manufacturing, agriculture, management of water resources, education and nuclear safety.
Pakistan has six civilian nuclear-powered reactors which are all covered under IAEA safeguards in the energy sector. Together, these facilities produce roughly 8.4% of the nation’s power. Pakistan has collaborated with the IAEA on issues related to reactor safety, emergency preparedness, radioactive waste disposal, regulatory development and Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) inspections to ensure that its civilian program conforms with international safety standards.
Healthcare is the most significant domain of Pakistan-IAEA cooperation. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has 21 Atomic Energy Cancer Hospitals in the country. These hospitals conduct almost 1 million diagnostic and therapeutic operations every year. Pakistan faces upwards of 180,000 new cancer cases each year. With support from the IAEA, these institutions have received advanced radiotherapy technology, nuclear medicine technologies, assurance of quality programs and specialist training. In acknowledgment of its exemplary high level of expertise, the Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) in Islamabad was designated as one of the IAEA’s first Rays of Hope Anchor Centers in 2023.
Another significant pillar of cooperation is agriculture. In collaboration with both the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization, Pakistani experts have developed over 150 improved crop varieties through mutation breeding techniques. These are rice, wheat, cotton, chickpea, mungbean and sugarcane. A number of the above varieties are cultivated in millions of acres and genetically modified cotton accounts for roughly 90 percent of Pakistan’s cotton cultivation. Nuclear techniques are also applied for soil fertility management, control of pests, isotope hydrology, livestock improvement and food preservation.
Pakistan has also become an important institutional partner of the IAEA in research and capacity development. The country hosts four IAEA Collaborating Centres; PIEAS, PINSTECH, NIAB, and NISAS, while NORI serves as a Rays of Hope Anchor Centre. These institutions conduct research, organize international training programmes, participate in coordinated research projects, and provide technical expertise to other IAEA Member States. NISAS alone has organized more than 30 national, regional, and international IAEA training courses and workshops on nuclear security. From a constructivist perspective, the collaboration between Pakistan and the IAEA elucidates how the evolved norm of responsible peaceful use can shape state behaviour beyond the framework of the NPT. Pakistan’s experience shows that responsible nuclear conduct is measured not only by legal commitments but also by adherence to international standards, institutional capacity, and the effective use of nuclear science for sustainable development and human welfare.
Dr Bilal Zubair is Director Research at the Center for International Strategic Studies, Islamabad.
