Qadeer Khan: nuclear proliferator or scrape goat?

 

"Who made the atom bomb? I made it! Who made the missiles? I made them for you!"

All right, so you might roll your eyes and smirk that the doctor has real gall to say that on national television right? But wait a second there - he did give you the bomb, didn’t he? He gave it to you when other aspiring nations who had the resources were unable to harness it. You put him on the pedestal! Will you now stamp your feet over the posters you once gleefully waved over your heads? He gave you the bomb and you readily took it, now he offers to you his pardon and you have the gall to fling it back with disdain?

"I take full responsibility for my actions and seek your pardon." A disgraceful public apology that resounded all over the world: the question remains, was such an extensive drama really required? Was there no other option left to tackle this issue besides such abject surrender? And if so, then to satisfy which flag? Certainly not just Pakistan’s? Tongues might be muted but all eyes are cast on the Bush, Blair and Musharraf liaison.

What we have here is a national hero, a champion by all means considering what he has done for Pakistan. Now what do you do when your hero admits to having done a deed that has letdown the national nuclear interests and proven for himself that his own lethal creation could end up in wrong hands? How does one tiptoe around such a sensitive situation? The conduit of the western backlash for the deceptive proliferation might have been altered from the government to an individual but the crux is that if suppose tomorrow, a superpower wants to drag out anyone from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, based on any genuine or fabricated excuse, they can? Why should anybody, let alone a national hero, be taken to task and publicly humiliated, on any reason forwarded from the outside?

Dr. Khan signed a 12-page document accepting the allegation and admitting to the transfer of nuclear technology to North Korea, Iran and Libya. He claimed it was all due to ideological reasons and not for money, he wanted to strengthen the defense capabilities of Islamic countries whilst as the same time take the pressure and focus off the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.

However, what did add spice was IAEA’s discovery that the centrifuges were similar to the URENCO designs. URENCO is the leading firm in design and operation of centrifuges and Dr Khan was associated with URENCO in the 1970s in the Dutch City of Almelo. Pakistan too developed capability of producing these centrifuges under the astute supervision of Dr. Khan.

There is little doubt that this proliferation sequence will burn a hole into the armor as far as the Pakistani nuclear security is concerned. And it’s even true r that now the opportunist will really be chanting ‘Islamic bomb’ in the American corridors of power. The Zionists might as well say ‘We told you so.’ International organizations will dogmatically try to pressurize their way into the nuclear installations and development programs while emphasizing on enhancing security measures in the future against nuclear proliferation.

Well, so maybe they can do that after they explain why other countries are not allowed to develop their defenses by adding the nuclear arsenal mark-up? Developing something that jounces every nation’s security and then fastidiously demanding to have exclusive rights to it is a pipe dream; it’s not possible in the real world. Almost every nation needs to balance its defense capabilities against another so they automatically turn towards the black-market. So far the investigations appear pointedly iniquitous while impartiality demands that European countries and individuals involved in nuclear proliferation are also taken to task. The IAEA has yet to name European culprits who form part of the nuclear proliferation black-market and underworld.

It will be difficult for Pakistan to avoid demands for intrusive international monitoring after this incident that highlights Dr Khan at the center of a clandestine nuclear black- market network with tentacles spread over widely. But as it is, Pakistan is not a signatory to any non-proliferation treaty and nor does it have to comply with the IAEA or any international demands for that matter, unless of course there is arm twisting. Musharraf claimed that "No documents will be submitted to the IAEA, to an independent inquiry, and we will not allow the UN to supervise our nuclear program -- I will be the last man to roll-back the nuclear and missile programs. There will be no compromise on vital national interests. If need be, I will sacrifice my life in defending and protecting them." That remains to be seen…

In his public confession Dr Khan accepted full responsibility for the scandal, absolving the government and his fellow scientists of any blame. But defense analysts and political leaders have voiced doubts that Dr Khan actually managed to traded secrets abroad without the knowledge of senior military and intelligence officials who controlled the nuclear program. General Musharraf said that Dr. Khan was solely responsible for the leakage of nuclear secrets and denied any official sanctions. "All the proliferation, unfortunately, was under the supervision and orders of Khan. No government official or military man was involved." Any takers?

How the pilferage of such sensitive material was not detected and how the activities escaped the scrutiny of not one, but two army has given birth to doubts? After all aren’t we talking about Kahuta? The place where two elected civilian Prime ministers weren’t allowed to enter? Kahuta: where a wandering French diplomat was soundly and scandalously thrashed. Pakistani officials claim that North Korean scientists received nuclear briefings at Khan Research Laboratories, where as even top Pakistani civilian leaders were not allowed to visit the highly guarded secret facility. So how come a gaping breach in the security when there are such intricate safety measures around the nuclear installation fatalities and the personnel?

In such a high security environment, it would be impossible to miss foreign trips made by senior scientists, engineers and administrators, their rendezvous with foreign nationals and transport and transfer of components and classified documents. Are we really supposed to believe that they went unnoticed….or did some few just turn a blind eye? Well, the metallurgist we call a nuclear scientist wasn’t exactly handing out apple tart recipes to go around unnoticed was he?

The common public, opposition parties and Islamists have protested Khan's fall from grace since Pakistan launched an investigation in November and they might display a variety of unpleasant reactions against ‘framing’ their hero. Though that might not come about as putting Dr. Qadeer on the stand obviously means that a prosecution would prove to be a lethal minefield for many others too. So it’s basically all stitched up, at least for now.

Why the investigation into the proliferation scandal wasn’t broadened into the military or the government is because that this could have serious implications for the country. True that Pakistan could face UN sanctions if official complicity in transfer of nuclear technology was established. But wouldn’t the international agencies continue to push Pakistan to explain how the transfer of nuclear technology could take place without the approval of the powerful military?

The United States and Britain pointedly withheld criticism for tougher action against Khan, as that will place the Pakistani leader in a tight spot. Both the British and US governments would like to avail the opportunity and prefer punitive action against Dr Khan as a deterrent to others contemplating nuclear proliferation, but they do not want any action that presently undermines Musharraf’s stability.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan sidestepped repeated questions about whether the Bush administration wants Pakistan to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty saying that Musharraf provided assurances that the government of Pakistan was not involved in any kind of proliferation activity. Since when is a Pakistani taken for his word? Did somebody just mutter ‘war against terror’?

Some speculate a deal between the White House and the Islamabad ‘ivory towers’; I mean letting Pakistan and their third world villain off the hook? Somebody pinch me! I guess once the Osama mania and the ‘War on terror’ is over, we may have to run for cover… if not before. Musharraf’s four hundred percent assurance to Colin Powell will not be too handy if any zealous reformist decides to target an American state because the Americans will surely bomb first and ask questions later.