Advertisent in Pakistan of lost radioactive material raises furor

-- A few advertisements on 'lost' radioactive materials have raised concern in Pakistan. The advertisements appeared in some Urdu newspapers last
month. They asked the public to inform officials if they found any 'lost or stolen' radioactive material.

Pakistan's nuclear authority on May 2 said there was a "very remote chance" that nuclear materials imported 40-50 years ago "were unaccounted
for''. "This could have been before the creation of Pakistan, and may relate to nuclear material that could not be taken under our charge," Zaheer
Baig, information services director of Pakistan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority told bbc.

"As public education campaigns go, this is unique," Jeffrey Lewis, director of Nuclear Strategy and Non-proliferation at the New America Foundation
in Washington, dc told Nature, terming such announcements shocking.

The authority said there was no reason for a concern. The advertisements were part of a campaign to create public awareness on nuclear issues. it
said. Officials also clarified that the matter is no sign of another controversy. In 2004, Pakistan witnessed a nuclear row after its nuclear scientist, A
Q Khan said he leaked nuke secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya.