*15,000 NUKES IN 14 STATES*

ISLAMABAD/ PAKISTAN : Experts at a roundtable highlighted that over 15,000 nuclear weapons at 107 different sites in 14 countries -

Posed a potential threat to human existence on the earth as dealing with humanitarian consequences of a nuclear accident is not possible.

Experts at a discussion on 'Building Bridges for Effective Nuclear Disarmament : Current Nuclear Challenges and Opportunities' observed that currently-

*No mechanism existed to cap the impact of a nuclear detonation*.

According to the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Landscape, the world is increasingly at risk of a nuclear accident due to the growing number of warheads across the globe.

The experts maintained that nuclear accidents do happen which sometimes go unreported.

''Even after the end of the nuclear security summit, 83% of the world's HEU and plutonium remains under military use. Only 17% is under civilian use and has been addressed following the nuclear security summit process,'' they believed.

On the issue of North Korea's denuclearization, they said the world has welcomed DPRK's decision.

However, the participants raised questions on who would verify the dismantling of DPRK's nuclear devices.

''Some countries believe that the IAEA should monitor the process. However, the IAEA is not mandated for the task.

Other countries are of the view that CTBTO should oversee the closure and dismantling of DPRK's  nuclear programme,'' the experts said.