The Smoking Gun in Pakistan Nuke Transfers

[Riaz Haq]

In his first public assertions since Pakistan's disgraced hero Dr. A.Q. Khan was put under house, the nuclear scientist has said, "It was a North Korean plane, and the army had complete knowledge about it and the equipment (centrifuges). It must have gone with [Musharraf's] consent."

This marks the first time that Mr. Khan has directly implicated President Musharraf and Pakistan Army in proliferation of Pakistan's nuclear technology.

Mr. Khan's latest statements contradict his 2004 confession that he alone was responsible for transferring nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya -- and Pakistan's repeated assertions that its army or government knew nothing about Mr. Khan's nuclear proliferation activities.

President's spokesman Gen. Rashid Qureshi rejected Mr. Khan's claims. "I can say with full confidence that it is all lies and false statements," he said.

But Gen. Talat Masood, a former general and current security analyst on Pakistani TV channels, said, "If the requirement of an aircraft was there, the requirement of dealing with another country was there, it's not just one man who could have done it." Gen. Masood called for an investigation into it, adding "Whether they were doing it individually or collectively or as a state policy or informally -- that needs to be determined."

After having allowed Mr. Khan unprecedented freedom to speak on this issue, the Pakistani government seems alarmed at the unthinkable ramifications of his statements. "The nuclear proliferation issue is a closed case," said Mohammed Sadiq, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, reiterating a longtime Pakistani stance. "We do not think that a debate is required on it."

There are several questions that come to mind in the wake of the latest assertions by Mr. Khan. Who is behind this latest embarrassment for President Musharraf and Pakistani military? What is their motivation? Is this the "smoking gun" that the IAEA and many Americans have been looking for? How would President Bush and the US Congress react? Is there room for plausible deniability for a possible covert operation that may have been authorized by the government in Pakistan's best interest? Where will this lead the world? Will there be a full, public investigation of this matter by foreigners? How many other nations have allowed their scientists to discuss state secrets in such a public way? How often have similar technology transfers by other nations been publicly investigated? Will we ever learn the truth? Will the effort to learn the truth compromise Pakistan's national security? The questions are many, but the answers are few. Only time will tell how this story plays out and its fall-out for Pakistan's national security.