IceCold
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Suit yourself. The events will unfold in coming months.
Most likely no NSG membership today
- Thread starter mehboobkz
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That Guy
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Because we believe everything a rouge scientist does, right? If he claims that Pakistan has a UFO from mars, and BB told him to keep it a secret, should we believe him?AQ Khan claims Benazir Bhutto ordered nuclear sale
AQ Khan, Pakistan's renegade nuclear scientist, claims he was ordered to sell nuclear secrets by Benazir Bhutto, the country's former prime minister.
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Pakistani lawyers shout slogans as they burn a US flag and an effigy of US President Barack Obama and Florida pastor Terry Jones during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Multan, Pakistan Photo: AFP
By Rob Crilly, Islamabad
2:27PM BST 17 Sep 2012
Mrs Bhutto's allies have rubbished the claim but, if true, his revelations raises fresh questions about Pakistan's role in the spread of nuclear weapons and brings the threat of sanctions.
Dr Khan is known as the father of Pakistan's atom bomb but was also at the centre of a proliferation network that sold secret technology to rogue states around the world, including Libya and Iran.
In 2004 he signed a confession claiming that he acted without the consent of the government and was pardoned the following day, an account he has now contradicted.
"The then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto summoned me and named the two countries which were to be assisted," Dr Khan said in an interview with the Jang media group, without naming the two nations.
He said he had no option but to obey Mrs Bhutto, who was prime minister from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 to 1996. She died in a suicide attack in 2007.
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"The Prime Minister would have certainly known about the role and co-operation of the two countries, mentioned by her, in our national interest," he claimed, adding that the transfer of nuclear technology was a complex procedure which needed the help of hundreds of people.
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07 Nov 2013
He declined to discuss the issue with The Daily Telegraph or explain Mrs Bhutto's motivation and when their conversation took place.
Dr Khan, 76, who was released from house arrest in 2009, remains a national hero for his role in helping develop a nuclear warhead, which was successfully tested in May 1998 – the first in the Islamic World.
The US has repeatedly asked to question him about his role in selling nuclear secrets but has been rebuffed.
He has admitted supplying centrifuge technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, in return for cash.
He is also suspected of offering secrets to Iraq, as part of a covert operation that ran for about 10 years until 1999.
Members of Mrs Bhutto's political party and government officials all denied that she – or her government – was involved in nuclear proliferation and criticised Dr Khan for making allegations against a woman who could not defend herself.
A government statement said the matter had been investigated thoroughly.
"It had been clearly established that the proliferation activity was an individual act, and did not carry authorisation of any Pakistani Government, at any stage," it said
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...aims-Benazir-Bhutto-ordered-nuclear-sale.html
This is how conspiracy theories start.
3 are practically the same source, the forth has nothing to suggest that I'm wrong.
All of the links have one thing in common, allegations.
Nilgiri
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You think the US military would release information like that to the public...especially at that time during the War on Terror and embarrass Musharaff even more than the AQ Khan saga?
But the end practical result is not one country outside of possibly China supports Pakistan's admission into the NSG. The direct US action was an Indo-US nuclear-like deal not even being conceptualised for Pakistan.
Many things worldwide remain "allegations". You will have to wait for the declassification of the US files w.r.t Pakistani C-130s arriving in North Korea for nuclear tech/missile bartering. It's not going to suddenly change the prevalent non-Chinese worldwide attitude to Pakistan w.r.t Nuclear proliferation however....it will just add to it. It's one hole Pakistan is not going to be able to dig itself out of for a very long time to come.
dadeechi
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So by the same token can we conclude that the original AQK confession in 2004 on TV was also a lie. Thus we can conclude that Pakistan government proliferated the nuclear weapons with full knowledge.
FAS Note: In the following speech, broadcast on Pakistani television on February 4, 2004, nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan "apologized" for having transferred nuclear secrets to other countries.My dear ladies and gentlemen: Assalam-o-Alaikum [peace be upon you].
It is with the deepest sense of sorrow, anguish, and regret that I have chosen to appear before you in order to atone for some of the anguish and pain that has been suffered by the people of Pakistan on account of the extremely unfortunate events of the last two months.
I am aware of the vital criticality of Pakistan's nuclear program to our national security and the national pride and emotions which it generates in your hearts. I am also conscious that any untoward event, incident, or threat to this national security draws the greatest concern in the nation's psyche.
It is in this context that the recent international events and their fallout on Pakistan have traumatized the nation. I have much to answer for it.
My dear brothers and sisters, I have chosen to appear before you to offer my deepest regrets and unqualified apologies to a traumatized nation.
The recent investigation was ordered by the Government of Pakistan consequent to the disturbing disclosures and evidence by some countries to international agencies relating to alleged proliferation activities by certain Pakistanis and foreigners over the last two decades.
The investigation has established that many of the reported activities did occur, and that these were inevitably initiated at my behest.
In my interviews with the concerned government officials, I was confronted with the evidence and the findings. And I have voluntarily admitted that much of it is true and accurate.
It pains me to realize... that my entire lifetime achievement... could have been placed in serious jeopardy.
My dear brothers and sisters, I have chosen to appear before you to offer my deepest regrets and unqualified apologies to a traumatized nation. I am aware of the high esteem, love, and affection in which you have held me for my services to national security. And I am grateful for all the awards and honors that have been bestowed upon me.
However, it pains me to realise in retrospect that my entire lifetime achievement of providing foolproof national security to my nation could have been placed in serious jeopardy on account of my activities, which were based in good faith, but on errors on judgment related to unauthorized proliferation activities.
I give an assurance, my dear brothers and sisters, that such activities will never take place in the future.
I wish to place on record that those of my subordinates who have accepted their role in the affair were acting in good faith like me, on my instructions.
I also wish to clarify that there was never ever any kind of authorization for these activities by the government.
I take full responsibility for my actions and seek your pardon.
I give an assurance, my dear brothers and sisters, that such activities will never take place in the future.
I also appeal to all citizens of Pakistan, in the supreme national interest, to refrain from any further speculations and not to politicize this extremely sensitive issue of national security.
May Allah keep Pakistan safe and secure. Pakistan Paindah Baad [Long Live Pakistan].
http://fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/aqkhan020404.html
A.Q. Khan's Thirteen-Page Confession
Published September 15, 2011
FoxNews.com
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The following is the thirteen-page confession of A.Q. Khan.
I was in Belgium in December 1971 and had just submitted by Ph.D. thesis when I saw the most painful and humiliating scenes of the surrender of the Pakistan Army in Dacca. To see our officers and jawans with crosses on their backs and their heads shaven being herded like cattle by Indian soldiers being kicked and hit with sticks was such a traumatic scene that I would never forget it my whole life long.
In May 1974 I was working as a Senior Scientist at FDO in Amsterdam and had specialized in uranium enrichment technology, the most advanced and the most complicated technology that the Dutch, the Germans and the British had perfected after spending billions of dollars over a 20 year period. Even today it is the best technology for enriching uranium.
On 18th May, 1974 the Indians exploded their first nuclear weapon. Appreciating the immediate dangers posed to Pakistan’s security and very existence, I offered my services to the Prime Minister, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. On 20th December 1974 I paid a short visit and explained the whole process to the Prime Minister and told him that I could give Pakistan nuclear capability. After explaining the process to Munir Ahmed Khan, Chairman PAEC, we went back to Holland. On 21st December 1975 we again came on holiday. I went to see the progress of the work done in one year, which turned out to be almost nil. I explained this to the Prime Minister, who asked me to stay back and send my resignation to FDO. It was a tough decision for me and my family but we decided to stay so I could serve my beloved Pakistan. I was appointed Advisor to PAEC in June 1976. For six months I had worked without being paid and under miserable and disgusting conditions. I was later paid Rs. 3,000 per month.
Working under PAEC proved to be impossible, hence the Prime Minister detached the Project from PAEC and made it independent under a Board of Coordination with Mr. A.G.M. Kazi (Chairman), Mr. Agha Shahi (Secretary General Foreign Affairs) and Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan (Secretary General Defence ) as members. We were to work directly under the Prime Minister.
One should not forget that I had brought with me technology, experience and personal notes worth billions of dollars. Without my knowledge and experience, Pakistan could never - repeat never - have become a nuclear power. It was only because of my initiative, knowledge and achievements that our nation can walk straight and tall today!
How I organized the work, set up the facilities and organized a most efficient network of companies to import materials and equipment is part of our history. I personally supervised each and every aspect of the Project and prepared the drawings and specifications to give to the suppliers. I trained hundreds of scientists and engineers who were initially totally ignorant of this high technology. The speed of the work and our achievements surprised our worst enemies and adversaries and the West stood helplessly by to see a Third World nation, unable even to produce bicycle chains or sewing needles, mastering the most advanced nuclear technology in the shortest possible span of time.
Our mastery of this most advanced and invaluable technology enabled us to sign a historic contract for a giant plant in China. Because of my assistance to the Chinese, they in turn helped Munir Ahmed Khan in various projects that had been stagnating for years (i.e. UF6, Reprocessing, Conversion, Production Reactor etc.).
By 1984 we had conducted successful cold tests and had manufactured all components for 30 nuclear devices. Upon my personal request, the Chinese Minister for Nuclear Technology had gifted us Kg 50 of weapon-grade enriched uranium, enough for 2 weapons. This gift clearly illustrates the importance the Chinese attached to the enrichment technology they received from me. I had asked for this to neutralize Indian nuclear blackmail and the imminent security threat to our country.
Work was progressing very fast and I worked 14 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week to get the job done against all odds, against all embargoes and despite the non-availability of trained manpower or expertise.
In August 1988 President Gen. Ziaul Haq died in a tragic air crash. Elections were held and Benazir Bhutto became the Prime Minister. Gen. Imtiaz, former M.S. to Mr. Bhutto, became Advisor on Defence to the Prime Minister and took over the supervision of the nuclear programme.
In 1985 the revolution in Iran took place and there were many in Pakistan who sympathized with the revolution and change of dress code. Kahuta had a large number of Shias working there. One senior officer, Hanif Khalil, was even reported to have contacted the Iranian Ambassador, Mr. Mousavi, but, apprehensive of overzealousness and leakage to favour Iran, I warned him to be more cautious and carefull.
In 1989 or 1990 COAS, Gen. Aslam Beg, promised to give the Iranians a few weapons and technology in lieu of 10 years of our defence budget. The Iranian Army Chief, Shamkani, flew to Islamabad in his own plane to pick up the weapons and papers. Admiral Sirohey as Chairman JCSC had a hard time trying to get out of this commitment, in which he succeeded. Later there was a lot of pressure by the COAS on Gen. Imtiaz and P.M. Benazir Bhutto to honour his commitment. Under pressure, Gen. Imtiaz asked Dr. Hashmi (I was out of station) to give some centrifuge parts and drawings etc. to the Iranians. He (Hashmi) asked him to wait until my return. When I got back, Gen. Imtiaz advised me to get components of two old (P-1) discarded machines and pack them into boxes together with 2 sets of drawings prepared by the late Mr. Khokhar. These drawings on their own were not sufficiently detailed to enable mastery of this difficult technology. The components and drawings were handed over to the late Dr. M.Z. Niazi for further disposal. As you know, Dr. Niazi was a confidante of Benazir Bhutto and Gen. Imtiaz.
It was some time in 1994 or 1995 that Dr. Niazi requested me to see a few Iranian scientists passing through Karachi from China on their way to Dubai and then on to Teheran. I met them in our guesthouse in Karachi for about half an hour. I did not know any of them and they didn’t give any names. They said that they could not make any progress with their programme and asked whether it would be possible for me to visit them or to send a team for a few weeks. I flatly told them that it was not possible to have that kind of contact. They then asked a few simple questions and I advised them to study the available scientific literature, which contained all the information they were asking for. They seemed to be ignorant of the basic knowledge available in publications.
During Gen. Zia’s rule, Benazir, her family, Gen. Imtiaz and Dr. Niazi were financially supported by Col. Gaddafi. It was reliably reported that Col. Gaddafi had given $ 200 million to the late Mr. Z.A. Bhutto to launch our nuclear programme. This was confirmed by Mr. Khalid Hassan, Press Secretary to Mr. Bhutto, in the mischievous BBC film “Project 706 - The Islamic Bomb”. I believe that one set of the drawings and components given by me was given to the Iranians and the other to the Libyans.
Dr. Z.K. Niazi used to travel between Dubai, Tripoli and London and in Dubai he became friendly with Farooq of Sri Lanka through a British common friend named Peter. He probably brought a Libyan in contact with Farooq and asked him to arrange a meeting during one of my trips to Turkey.
Once when we went to Istanbul (I donot know the date) to have discussions with Dr. Heilingbrunner, Lerch and Ruegg, Farooq (Sri Lanka) told me that a friend of Dr. Niazi’s would like to see me in the nearby Sheraton Hotel. We were staying at Hotel Dilson, Taksim Square. I met the gentleman, a plump darkish person who introduced himself as Magid or Mageed. He said that they wanted to start some R & D programme in the enrichment field and had been given assurances of Pakistan Government assistance. I said they lacked the trained manpower and infra-structure. He said that they could still start learning and do some laboratory experiments. I gave him a brief idea of how complex and difficult the whole technology was. After about half an hour we left and he said he would contact Farooq (Sri Lanka) whenever necessary. He was not a technical person.
We did not hear from them for years and then during one of our trips to Turkey to meet our Turkish and Swiss suppliers, Tahir (nephew of Farooq) said that his uncle had phoned to say that a gentleman from Libya was there to see us. I met this gentleman with Tahir. He was of medium stature, average weight and a bit bald. He introduced himself as an Engineer and the name I understood was Mahfooz (you mentioned it as Matooq). He said he was now planning to start the programme as nothing had been done so far and he wanted to start on a small laboratory scale. I told him the plant needed a lot of space and many workshops and manpower. He said that they could go underground, to which I replied that it was not possible for such a big plant with all the facilities to go underground. Since he was planning on a small scale, he thought they might set up a farm of camels or goats and put one or two small sheds in between to put up the laboratory and start training the people in various technologies (vacuum, welding process, computer etc.). I suggested they first send enough people abroad for degrees/training and then start the research programme. He seemed to like that idea. We met for about half an hour at the most. We did not meet again for a long time. After 4 or 5 years, while in Dubai, Tahir invited us to dinner in his flat and the whole Matooq family (9 or 10 people) was there too. He said that they were now starting the work and that he was in touch with foreign suppliers. These had agreed to supply components, equipment etc. through Dubai and other countries. I just listened, being sure in my mind that there was not a committed approach and that they would not be able to achieve much. What they needed was commitment and trained manpower, neither of which they had. I met this same gentleman at dinner at Tahir’s place once or twice more over a period of 4 to 5 years. On those occasions he never discussed any technical matters or asked any questions. I only heard him discuss payment problems to suppliers with Tahir. Tahir once mentioned that Matooq was always taking away quite a bit of money for his personal use. There was always a young man named Karim with him. The last time I met him was in Casablanca for half an hour at tea when we were going to Timbuktu. Tahir said he had asked to see him there as the suppliers were making his life difficult. Tahir asked him to send some money as quickly as possible as the suppliers were pressing him very hard and chasing him. Matooq neither gave me any detail of his work nor asked any questions. I was aware that Tahir was assisting him with the placing of orders according to the supplier’s quotations. It was business between user and supplier. The suppliers had all the drawings that we had originally given them as well as their own modified drawings and were, thus, in a position to supply the requested or suggested products, make their own suggestions and/or submit quotations. Even when we met the last time, I was sure that the Libyans were unable to run any machine properly, not to talk of enrichment. Since I never visited their country or saw any film of their facilities, I did not know anything about their programme. I had heard that they had not even erected a single shed to do some preliminary work.
Western suppliers were supplying components etc. and one factory in Malaysia, owned by the son of the Malaysian Prime Minister, Ahmad Badawi, was producing milk/oil tankers, liquid petroleum tankers etc. A Swiss Engineer had put up some machines in this factory to manufacture some components. The components intercepted on the ship near Italy were reportedly manufactured there. Pakistan or KRL had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
At one time Tahir asked if he could hire some retired/nearly retired engineers for his factory. Farooq (KRL) was quite unhappy at being demoted and was interested in a good job. Mr. Nasimuddin was nearing LPR and wanted to find a job abroad as his children were studying in the U.S.A. I asked them to send their C.V.s to Malaysia. Mr. Nasimuddin paid a visit there but did not like the place and preferred a government job in the Middle East. Farooq showed some interest, but then preferred to stay back as he was hoping that Mr. Azmat would retire and that he would again be promoted to the post of D.G. That was the end of their interest in Malaysia.
If the Libyans have any papers/drawings bearing our name or signatures etc, they must have obtained them either from Farooq (Sri Lanka), Tahir or our old suppliers, as the two first-mentioned had them in Dubai for our use.
I have heard that Tahir is being interrogated by the Malysian, American and British authorities and is telling all sorts of stories to save himself. He must be saying the things that the interrogators want to hear from him, even though they may be incorrect.
I did not ask anybody in KRL to send any gas to Libya and it is impossible to get 2 tons of gas out of Kahuta without this discrepancy being found out or caught. Our material balance sheet is foolproof. If one believes in the disappearance of this quantity of gas, one could also accept the possibility of the disappearance of Kg 200 or 300 weapon-grade material, which is also impossible.
The suggestion that I ever asked for a Libyan passport is both ludicrous and preposterous. I lived in Europe for 15 years and could have got nationality of Germany, Holland or Belgium, but I was proud to keep my Pakistani passport. H.H. Prince Mamdouh bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, brother of King Fahd, offered us (Gen. Chowhan, Dr. Nazeer and me) Saudi passports during one of our visists to the Islamic Development Bank meetings in Jeddah, but I very politely refused. H.H. Gen. Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed, Chief of the U.A.E. Armed Forces and Deputy Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, offered me U.A.E. nationality many times together with a luxurious villa, which I also politely refused. I discarded all these lucrative and attractive offers and preferred to work and live in Pakistan.
Iran
The Iranians went on their own to buy, process or manufacture components and equipment. We did not hear from them for years. Some 10 odd years ago Tahir asked for some P-1 components from Farooq (KRL). I don’t remember the exact details. As you mentioned, some small components (200 sets) were collected from our old, discarded stock or a few may have been manufactured and sent by Farooq (KRL) to Tahir, who then probably passed them on to some Iranians. There were no casings, bases, feed systems, scoops etc. Without this system the machine is useless and hence the components were of little value in the overall project. Furthermore, the components were old, mostly rejected due to being out-of-tolerances. They could, at the most, be useful for assembling a few machines but it would not have been possible to make them run to the desired speed. You have to be extremely competent and expert to assemble, balance and run these machines to full speed (63,000 rpm). I allowed it as it was earlier sanctioned by Gen. Imtiaz and the Government and it would keep the Iranians happy and our friendship with them in tact. That the Iranians failed to achieve any progress in 15 years, shows the complexities and extreme technical expertise required to master this technology.
It is most unfortunate that, having been betrayed by their own opposition nationals (Mujahideen Khalq Group) and having failed in their effort to achieve any progress, the Iranians have reportedly pointed their finger at us and are now putting us into trouble. They say that they have not given any names or sources from Pakistan. This was emphatically assured and conveyed to me through Izaz Jaffery by ex-Ambassador Agha Siraj Mousavi himself.
The spirit behind giving some assistance to Iran or Libya was to maintain friendly relations between them and us. At no time did I seriously believe that they were capable of mastering this technology as they didn’t have the required infra-structure, the trained manpower or the technical know-how.
North Korea
After approval from the Prime Minister and the COAS, a contract was signed with the North Koreans for a Km 1500 surface-to-surface guided missile. A delegation led by me and including Gen. Mian Mushtaq, DGCD, Admiral Sohail Ahmed Khan, Col. Qazi, Dr. Mirza, Nasim Khan and others visited North Korea for about 5 days. Later their team came here and the deal was finalized with the participation of the then DGCD, Gen. Ziauddin, Dr. Samar Mubarakmand and Chairman Suparco, Mr. Sikander. The Korean team was officially allowed to stay at Kahuta once the products started coming. This was some time in 1993-4. They had to work in the shops and instruct our engineers and technicians in the making of the components. Most of their work was in the two machine shops that were also producing and assembling centrifuges and centrifuge sub-assemblies. They became interested in the technology and some engineers spent a lot of time with Khokhar in his shop where rotor tubes, bellows, etc. were being made and there was a test-bed of P-2. Khokhar was making the liquid fuel rocket engine and needed the Koreans the whole day on a daily basis. During the course of their stay it is quite possible that he explained some details of centrifuge machines to them.
Some time in 1996, when the missile project was in full swing, some payments from the GHQ to the Koreans were pending. Somebody from GHQ advised Gen Kang, the Korean representative, to pay some money to Gen. Ziauddin to get the money released. Gen. Kang gave him a suitcase containing $ 0.5 million. Gen. Ziauddin informed Gen. Waheed, COAS, and they returned the money to Kang. Gen. J. Karamat, CGS, came to know of this and phoned me after a few days saying that I should arrange with Gen. Kang to pay this money to him for some secret army funds. He would then sanction the payment of their outstanding charges. He phoned me a few times to expedite the matter. I talked to Gen. Kang and he gave me the $ 0.5 million in cash, which I personally delivered to Gen. J. Karamat. In the meantime Gen. Karamat became COAS and said to me that he needed more money for the same secret funds and that I should talk to Gen. Kang. Gen. Kang came back to me after a few days and said that his boss was willing to give a further $ 2.5 million, provided we helped them with the enrichment technology. They already had a production reactor and were producing plutonium. They had also manufactured a few weapons as, according to Gen. Kang’s boss, they had received Kg 200 plutonium and weapon designs from the Russians in the mid-fifties after the Korean War. They had shown Dr. Mirza and me the perfect nuclear weapon, technologically more advanced than ours. They wanted this technology only for fuel for the power reactors as it cost only 1/10 of that of the diffusion process and required only low capital investment. They were not interested in weapon-grade production of material and did not ask any questions or for drawings for specially designed cascades for weapon-grade material. I informed Gen. J. Karamat; he agreed and gave me a go-ahead. I asked my people to prepare 20 outdated P-1 machines and gave them. Since they were working in the plant and were familiar with the P-2 machines, they asked for 4 of these too. I discussed the matter with the COAS and obtained his approval. After that I personally gave the remaining $ 2.5 million to Gen. Karamat in cash at the Army House to make up the whole amount. The senior engineers at Kahuta were responsible for the Korean’s movements and work. People at the plant were mixing with them every day and taking them around or discussing things with them. I was hardly there. I used to go to Kahuta for 3 or 4 hours to do administrative work and mostly spent the time in my office or with Brig. Behram who was making a launcher, which was our priority at the time. The Koreans took the machines in their own plane with which they were bringing missile parts for us. Security Staff was always present to check incoming and outgoing cargo. Even Dr. Mirza and Nasim Khan made some control panels and software packages and gave them. The Koreans had brought some UF6 gas for analysis, which we tested and found that it was not pure enough. They requested a few Kg of depleted gas for comparison purposes, which we gave them. Technically and monetarily it had no value. One could buy such a sample from abroad. One flowmeter was given to them as a sample. A flowmeter is an ordinary instrument in a UF6 plant. It is banned for Pakistan but available in the open market in Europe. They, in return, taught us how to make Krytrons (fast switches), which were banned items and are needed in nuclear weapons detonation. This was very valuable to us.
After having been here for years, the COAS (Gen. Pervez Musharraf) desired that we should send the Koreans back immediately. They left within 3 days. After that we had no more contact with them.
I left KRL on 31.3.2001 and that was that.
As far as the destroying of any papers or gate passes is concerned, I only advised people not to keep any papers or records that could implicate Pakistan with transfer of technology or equipment to North Korea at any later stage. At that time there were various lobbies against Pakistan and I feared that these papers could, if falling into wrong hands, be used to implicate Pakistan. It was only meant as a precautionary measure.
I have done nothing against the interests of Pakistan and whatever I did could not have resulted in proliferation of nuclear weapons. It was primarily meant to keep up our friendship with those countries that had been helping Pakistan from time to time.
I would like to reiterate that I never - repeat never - ever put foot on Iranian or Libyan soil.
Dr. A.Q. Khan
In early 1989 Gen. Aslam Beg asked me if I could help the Iranians in enrichment technology so that they could also achieve nuclear capability. He was convinced that, if Iran had this capability, it would work as a shield between Pakistan on the one side and the U.S.A. and other Western countries on the other side and that these countries would then not be able to undertake any mischievous or adventurous action against Pakistan. I agreed in principle, but told him I could only do so with a go-ahead from the Government. When Gen. Imtiaz told me to do the needful, I did so as I knew he must have obtained clearance from the Prime Minister.
So also was the case with Libya. Dr. Zafar Niazi told me that it had been cleared by the Prime Minister, upon which I took the necessary action.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/15/aq-khans-thirteen-page-confession.html
Disgraced atomic scientist disowns confession
· Father of Pakistan's bomb rejects smuggling claim
· Khan defiant in first talk to western media since 2004
Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-N party hold a picture of disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan as they gather near a replica of Chaghi mountain, where the nuclear tests were conducted. Photograph: Reuters/Faisal Mahmood
Declan Walsh in Islamabad
Thursday 29 May 2008 19.01 EDT Last modified on Friday 30 May 2008 03.45 EDT
For four years Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has lived in the shadows, confined to his Islamabad home since a tearful televised confession in which he admitted selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya. But yesterday the 76-year-old scientist returned to the spotlight with a bold new twist: that he had not meant a word of his earlier admission.
In his first western media interview since 2004, Khan said the confession had been forced upon him by President Pervez Musharraf. "It was not of my own free will. It was handed into my hand," he told the Guardian. More worryingly, he swore never to cooperate with investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency, despite persistent fears that nuclear technology traded by his accomplices could fall into terrorist hands.
"Why should I talk to them?" he said. "I am under no obligation. We are not a signatory to the NPT [nuclear non-proliferation treaty]. I have not violated international laws." He said details of his clandestine nuclear supply network were "my internal affair and my country's affair".
Despite numerous requests from the IAEA and the US government, Pakistan has refused access to Khan, who is still considered a national hero. A spokesman at the UN watchdog's headquarters in Vienna declined to respond to his comments.
Until this week Khan had been unseen and largely unheard since his February 2004 appearance on state television, in which he said he had hawked the country's nuclear know-how abroad. He offered his "deepest regrets and unqualified apologies". Since then Khan has been confined to his villa below the Margalla Hills in Islamabad, where he lives with his wife, Henny. He was initially subjected to tight restrictions. Telephone calls were monitored, internet access was forbidden and visitors were turned away by soldiers camped at his gate. He was allowed to leave the house in August 2006 only for a cancer operation in Karachi, which was successful.
But as Musharraf's powers have ebbed over the past year, so have the ties on Khan been loosened. First he was allowed to have lunch with close friends, then last month he gave his first interview from his house arrest to a local Urdu language newspaper. Now he hopes that the newly elected prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, will set him free.
"As long as you are living there is always hope," he said, adding that he would wait for pressing economic and political crises to pass. In reality, he may be waiting for Musharraf to be forced out.
Yesterday the military dismissed speculation, prompted by changes in the army command, that Musharraf was about to quit as president. "A section of press is trying to sensationalise routine functional matters," said a spokesman.
Khan has emerged as Pakistan celebrates the 10th anniversary of the 1998 test that catapulted the volatile nation into the nuclear club. Speaking by telephone, he displayed the mix of defiant nationalism and religious ardour that has endeared him to many Pakistanis.
Reports that nuclear technology was smuggled abroad were "western rubbish", he said, and unfavourable accounts of his life were "shit piles". He brusquely dismissed nicknames such as "the Merchant of Menace" from a Time magazine cover.
"It doesn't bother me at all. They don't like our God, they don't like our prophet, they don't like our holy book, the Qur'an. So how could they like me?" he said.
He dismissed reports that he owned 43 houses in Islamabad, had many bank accounts and owned a $10m hotel in Timbuktu, Mali. "The journalists should have gone and seen - it was an eight-room mud-brick house where the poor people reside," he said, referring to the latter. Asked if he was rich he answered: "Never was, never will be."
International nuclear investigators and the Pakistani government paint a very different picture. In 2005, Musharraf confirmed that Khan had supplied North Korea with centrifuges used to enrich uranium. This week the IAEA board received further confirmation linking Pakistan with Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
Khan said yesterday that nuclear technology was freely available in the west to Iran or North Korea. "They were supplying to us, they were supplying to them ... [to] anyone who could pay," he said.
But for all his defiant talk, one subject remains out of bounds for Khan. Supporters claim he was made a scapegoat for Pakistani generals involved in nuclear trading. Khan refuses to discuss the issue. "I don't want to talk about it. Those things are to forget about," he said.
He denied speculation he had hidden evidence of military collusion with his daughter, Dina, who lives in London. "MI6 has spoken to my daughter, they have been to her house. I did not keep any official papers in my house or anywhere," he said.
Khan directed Pakistan's nuclear enrichment programme for 25 years. Born in pre-partition India - his family moved to Pakistan after 1947 - his passion for developing a nuclear bomb was driven by hatred of his country of birth.
Khan is worshipped as a hero at home, but the former CIA director George Tenet described him as "at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden", and fears of the damage wreaked by his smuggling network were realised when North Korea exploded a nuclear device in October 2006.
In Musharraf's 2006 memoir, he said he sacked Khan after learning that he was "up to mischief".
Khan blames this on the "self-seekers and sycophants" around Musharraf, who had allowed Pakistan to become a "banana republic".
Backstory
The quest for a Pakistani nuclear bomb was launched by Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in 1972. "You men here will make it for me and for Pakistan," he told a secret meeting of scientists and generals. Bhutto's motive was to counter India's more developed programme. His secret asset was metallurgist AQ Khan who, while working in a Dutch nuclear laboratory, smuggled secrets home. Khan returned to head the programme in 1976. Pakistan exploded its first nuclear device in 1998. The army has an estimated 50 nuclear warheads
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/may/30/pakistan.nuclear
salarsikander
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Hi,
All this was happening under the watchful eyes of US and in their produced equipment C-130, YET US was so poor and weak to stand up against the might tyranny of Pakistan, that they didn't do anything about it
. Not even raised objection, let alone eyebrows. Weird as it so happens, that when (Allegedly) Pakistan tried to modify Harpoon ( another US weapon) for land attack role, ring upon ring were rung in Pentagon at an alarming rate. And Mighty Pakistan had to let in US inspectors to show that we didn't modify anything. 2+2 is coming as 8.5 for some weird reason
Knock knock !
rember that threatening call to bomb us back to stone age before the WOT and then OBL drama Raid
Nilgiri
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The incident with the C-130s happened in 2002, after Musharraf acquiesed to US demands in that conversation with Armitage. So in the greater interest US had in WoT (and a facesaving scapegoat of AQ Khan for its MNNA Pakistan)...the photos of the C-130s parked in North Korea (if they even exist...it could be other evidence or pressure some US source leaked to the media) were classified and would be released only after the minimum period has lapsed.
The OBL raid happened after the WoT Alliance was souring quite rapidly (drone strikes were in full flow on Pakistan soil no matter Pakistans protests,) American ground officers were routinely asking their superiors to be allowed to conduct hot pursuit across the border...these officers becoming some of the generals currently and soon future are going to be further accelerating the current trends in the US-Pak-India relationship trifecta.
Anyways, quoting from the NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/24/international/asia/24KORE.html?pagewanted=all
SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 21 — Last July, American intelligence agencies tracked a Pakistani cargo aircraft as it landed at a North Korean airfield and took on a secret payload: ballistic missile parts, the chief export of North Korea's military.
The shipment was brazen enough, in full view of American spy satellites. But intelligence officials who described the incident say even the mode of transport seemed a subtle slap at Washington: the Pakistani plane was an American-built C-130.
It was part of the military force that President Pervez Musharraf had told President Bush last year would be devoted to hunting down the terrorists of Al Qaeda, one reason the administration was hailing its new cooperation with a country that only a year before it had labeled a rogue state.
But several times since that new alliance was cemented, American intelligence agencies watched silently as Pakistan's air fleet conducted a deadly barter with North Korea. In transactions intelligence agencies are still unraveling, the North provided General Musharraf with missile parts he needs to build a nuclear arsenal capable of reaching every strategic site in India.
salarsikander
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Again, US would have bombed the shit out of us, had we actually done that using their equipment. WOT or not ! Dont nake any difference here. remember that Sala checkpost Incident. Get over this bull crap
Nilgiri
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US is the master of turning a blind eye/ not pursuing Pakistan govt/military in order to get higher level objectives accomplished. After all they didnt want to cut off their own troops in Afghanistan at the time. Its also the reason the Reagan administration looked the other way when China was helping Pakistan nuclear program in the 80s.
Turning Pakistan into a nuclear pariah was the extent of the punishment for the AQ Khan + North Korean barter.
salarsikander
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Lol. They excatky known what they are doing, turning blind eye no way. Wonder why they were shouting on modifications of harpoon then
Nilgiri
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Where they droning your border areas or doing OBL type raids in specific retaliation to the proposed Harpoon "upgrading"? Or were they simply applying later pressure/sanctions where they know they can on Pakistan to remind of what the carrot is and what the stick is. Not every action by Pakistan is going to bring about a "bombing to the stone age" retaliation by the US..there are many levels of retaliation in between. The threat of bombing to stone age was simply to ask Pakistan, let us reset the relations for this context (Al-Qaeda/OBL) and we now directly ask which side you are going to pick (no middle ground). It doesn't always fully encapsulate every other realm of US-Pakistan relationship. Now if Pakistan was caught proliferating nuclear weapons to Al-Qaeda, that would have invoked a US military response on Pakistan plain and simple. But North Korea is not Al-Qaeda for all sorts of reasons.
Therefore I meant blind eye in so far as direct military action against Pakistan military/govt....which they know will have to be absolute last resort (hence why drones of rag tag border areas make up 99% of such military action by US against Pakistan and most of the rest is say the OBL like covert raid).
US bureaucracy keeps a long tab on Pakistans activities....the files dont have 4 year political terms
salarsikander
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The specfic action of allegedly transferring missiles parts and that too is US made equipment what have brought unprecedented level of sanctions. They just can't turn the blind eye on that issue. It would invoke international response, believing such lunacy is a jokeWhere they droning your border areas or doing OBL type raids in specific retaliation to the proposed Harpoon "upgrading"? Or were they simply applying later pressure/sanctions where they know they can on Pakistan to remind of what the carrot is and what the stick is. Not every action by Pakistan is going to bring about a "bombing to the stone age" retaliation by the US..there are many levels of retaliation in between. The threat of bombing to stone age was simply to ask Pakistan, let us reset the relations for this context (Al-Qaeda/OBL) and we now directly ask which side you are going to pick (no middle ground). It doesn't always fully encapsulate every other realm of US-Pakistan relationship. Now if Pakistan was caught proliferating nuclear weapons to Al-Qaeda, that would have invoked a US military response on Pakistan plain and simple. But North Korea is not Al-Qaeda for all sorts of reasons.
Therefore I meant blind eye in so far as direct military action against Pakistan military/govt....which they know will have to be absolute last resort (hence why drones of rag tag border areas make up 99% of such military action by US against Pakistan and most of the rest is say the OBL like covert raid).
US bureaucracy keeps a long tab on Pakistans activities....the files dont have 4 year political terms
Nilgiri
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You are confusing what happened.
First of all the C-130s were the only US made equipment in question during these transfers...i.e they provided the transport of the centrifuges to North Korea and the North Korean missile parts/blueprints back to Pakistan.
Does US have any control of these C-130s after selling/transferring/gifting to Pakistan? No. They are not a high end equipment....and Pakistan could just as easily have chartered a Chinese transport plane to do this as well.
Its the end result (proliferation) that US recorded in its logs that they continue to reference today in dealing with Pakistan on nuclear topics. The use of C-130s just makes it ironic and give an extra stink to the way Pakistan did it.....but it did not break any agreement Pakistan had made officially or unofficially with the US.....since Pakistan is not a member of NPT. That's why Armitage only talked about bombing to the stone age if Pakistan sided with the Taliban after 9/11. There was no mention of nuclear proliferation in that discussion with Musharraf, it was very specific.
Proliferation cannot be dealt with tactically, it requires long term strategy. Excluding Pakistan from the NSG and any bilateral deal is how the US responded to the history of AQ Khan and Pakistan military proliferation.
Its not like they waged war on China or France for proliferating earlier either.....nor did they do so for South Africa (if your issue is strictly non- P5 member punishment) when they proliferated some tech to Israel.....and Pakistan was already a nuclear power when these transfers with North Korea happened in 2002...so its not like the US was in a position to suddenly start a broader conflict with Pakistan so suddenly because of nuclear bartering with North Korea. They have just slowly ramped up the pressure on Pakistan diplomatically over time as is to be expected....since they still see more things they could and can extract from Pakistan by doing this gradual procedure.
Here is the Russian ambassador to India, Kadakin's interview on the issue:
As for Pakistan..it is a bit premature, perhaps other members will get together and decide, but for India we have always supported the inclusion of India...". Doesnt seem like support at all.
IceCold
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If this makes you sleep better, be my guest rest assured India will have to have a Nod of the all the member and you are not going anywhere with China and Turkey and neither are we.
salarsikander
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We are ta!king about POST 9/11 scenario. Protocols were changed and strengthened. Its not walk in park that someone goes on to deliver misiles parts to a rogue state with full knowledge of US.
Secondly, ironically you guys claim that our missile tech is based on Korean tech and yet we are delivering it to them. What a bunch of baloney
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