"The ghost resurrected" -- Pakistan's Dr. A. Q. Dr Khan

[TexasLawyer]

A very Musharaff-friendly editorial, but here it is anyway.

EDITORIAL: Dr Khan again... the ghost resurrected

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_1-3-2005_pg3_1

A US newspaper has reported that investigations into the proliferation scandal have thrown up evidence “of a secret meeting 18 years ago between Iranian officials and associates of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan”. This meeting, according to the report, “resulted in a written offer to supply Tehran with the makings of a nuclear weapons programme.” The report says US official and foreign diplomats say this meeting “kick-started Tehran’s nuclear efforts and Khan’s black market.” This was the time when Iran was at war with Iraq and “bought centrifuge designs and a starter kit for uranium enrichment.” However, Tehran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency “that it turned down the chance to buy the more sensitive equipment required for building the core of a bomb.” What does one make of this?

First, while some of the evidence suggests that Iran might be embarked on a nuclear-weapon programme, it is somewhat perplexing that it should have chosen not to go the whole hog at the time. Linked to this is also the fact that many of the items and know-how that Iran is accused of having got from the nuclear Wal-Mart being run by AQ Khan, “can be used for peaceful purposes and is scattered throughout Iran’s energy programme.” Further, during the Iran-Iraq war, the United States was squarely behind Saddam Hussein and indeed looked the other way when Baghdad decided to use chemical and biological weapons against Iranian forces.

There is a possibility that Iran might have thought of a nuclear option but it is equally true that its scientists would have known that even with outside help, it would still need several years to develop even a rudimentary capability. It is difficult to imagine that Tehran might have thought of developing the capability as a reaction to the ongoing war.

The year 1987 is also significant in terms of Dr Khan’s connection with the Iranian programme. If anything, it shows that his proliferation activities were not sanctioned by the Pakistani state. This was the time when Pakistan-Iran relations were in a nosedive and Tehran considered Pakistan as closer to Riyadh. The late eighties also saw the rise within Pakistan of Shia-Sunni sectarianism which has continued to wit. In Afghanistan, we saw the rise of Pakistan-Iran rivalry for control from the nineties onwards. So, if anything, this strengthens General Pervez Musharraf’s argument that Dr Khan was doing things on his own and not as part of some state policy.

Having said that, however, it is important to note the continuing reference to Dr Khan. He was not alone in business and IAEA evidence suggests that the tentacles of this network are spread out to different parts of Europe. But while Pakistan has taken care of Dr Khan, we have no evidence that the European governments have taken any action against their nationals involved in this business.

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