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| India-Pakistan | |||
| Details on Khan’s Get Out Of Jail Free Deal | |||
| 2004-02-05 | |||
| EFL: Key government officials, including a top lawyer of the country, held extensive meetings with Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan in Islamabad in the past few days before Dr Khan agreed to publicly acknowledge his personal role in the transfer of nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea in exchange for the government’s clemency for his unauthorised activities as the head of the Khan Research Laboratory (KRL) founded by him in 1976, officials and other informed sources said. This would be your standard plea bargain meeting, government lays out the evidence it has and offers Khan a way out. The four associates of Dr Khan, who were formally detained under the Security of Pakistan Act for 90 days on Tuesday will now be removed from their official jobs but, like Dr Khan, they may also be spared of prosecution, informed officials said. They would have had less to bargain with, I’ll wager they gave up evidence on Khan. "They will have to complete their detention term before a decision on their future in May this year," said an official, who didn’t expect a hindered public life for Dr Khan, at least during the current year. "For his past contribution to the country’s nuclear programme, the government security would stay with Dr Khan throughout his life," an official said, who offered no comments, when asked if this was the government’s measure of keeping a tight watch on Dr Khan’s engagements. "The guards? They’re there to 'protect' Dr Khan, he’s a important man." The government has already decided to overhaul the entire spectrum of the nation’s nuclear programme, particularly the KRL, by retiring all scientists and officials, who have completed 25 years of service with the KRL. Cleaning out the old guard who were loyal to Khan. In fifth year of his association with Pakistan’s nuclear programme Lt-Gen Khalid Kidwai, the head of the Strategic Planning and Development Cell, is heading the entire research and development activities in the country’s nuclear facilities. Pakistan’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and material has been placed under the strictest of custodial control of the nation’s exclusive strategic forces currently being commanded by Lt-Gen Ghulam Mustafa Khan, who ensures the safety and security of the nuclear arsenal by keeping them in dismembered form in dozens of safe locations manned by his troops. That’s good news, no assembled bombs in one location. Except for the ones on the launch pad, if any. From the government side, a senior Pakistani official disclosed, Lt-Gen Ehsanul Haq Khan, the head of the ISI and Lt-Gen Khalid Kidwai, the head of the Strategic Planning and Development Cell, again confronted Dr Khan with "reams of evidence on his illegal activities at the KRL" with options either to accept the responsibility of those action or to let the government present the whole situation before the masses. For his part Dr Khan had expressed full trust in the country’s former law minister and senior lawyer Senator SM Zafar, who helped both the government and Dr Khan to reach a mutually agreed formula for an early end of the controversy. The former law minister had represented Dr Khan in the case filed against him for the alleged theft of nuclear technology by the Dutch company, Urenco in early 1980s. The conviction of Dr Khan by a lower court in Holland was reversed by a superior court because of legal shortcomings raised by Zafar in the prosecution’s case. Khan hired the best lawyer money could buy. Because of his familiarity with the legal affairs of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, official sources said, President Musharraf had allowed Zafar’s intervention in the matter. "The whole idea was to put water on fire, which was leaping high because of some recent statements attributed to Dr Khan about the military’s knowledge of his activities," said a source close to SM Zafar. "The Zafar formula would allow Dr Khan to live the rest of his life peacefully in Pakistan, while the State would have an assurance that he would refrain from talking on this sensitive subject in future," said an informed official. He keeps his mouth shut and gets to live out his life in comfort. The government gets to keep it’s secrets, it hopes. Official sources said that before signing the 12-page confessional statement, Dr Khan had extensively discussed his written admission with SM Zafar, while Makhdoom Ali Khan, the Attorney-General for Pakistan, prepared the actual draft of the confession. An important government source said Dr Khan’s written confession of his nuclear proliferation activities will be made available to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is expected to issue its Iran Report any day during the current month. Should be interesting reading. Bring your own salt. These sources said Pakistani investigators have obtained similar signed confessions from Dr Nazir Ahmad, the Director-General, KRL, Dr Muhammad Farooq, a key centrifuge expert and Brig Sajawal, who was associated with the KRL since its inception. If they did this right, each confession was written in private with the knowledge the other guys were also writing one. Then you crosscheck one against the other.
With formal approval, or at least a wink, from the government. Pakistani officials familiar with the investigation against the nuclear scientists said that at no point during the debriefing did Dr Khan challenge the government’s evidence of corruption and other malpractices that included awarding lucrative contracts to his son-in-law Noman Shah and elder brother Abdul Qayum Khan. "He had answers and arguments for most of his actions as the head of the KRL, but nothing for the huge sums of money and real estate that Dr Khan had accumulated all over the world," an official said. "Money was pouring into his accounts since early 1990s but we received the first piece of solid evidence from a Western intelligence service in December, 2000," said a highly informed Pakistani official.
"At that point President Musharraf was hesitant to give him the benefit of doubt, but he was advised against taking any punitive action by some influential colleagues in the Army." Who are in it up to their eyebrows. During his recent debriefing sessions Dr Khan conceded that the December, 2000, information on his foreign accounts received from a Western intelligence service was correct, but only after he was confronted with information gathered from the Sri Lankan middleman who, after his recent arrest in Malaysia, had provided a graphic insight into Dr Qadeer’s activities to the same Western intelligence service late last year. That would be BSA Tahir, busted for the Libyan centrifuge deal. Some officials said on Wednesday, though the government wants to close the "Qadeer chapter" as soon as possible, it seemed, that General Musharraf is determined to investigate the charges of financial corruption, raised by Dr AQ Khan during his debriefing, against some retired military officials, who either worked at the KRL or had overseen its activities from the General Headquarters (GHQ). More details at the link.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 Stray thought while reading this (Soda alert)... "Ricin, it's not just for terrorists any more..." |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-2-5 10:56:12 PM |
| #3 KHAAAANNN!!! |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2004-2-5 2:00:53 PM |
| #2 A few more sheets of paper to add to Baker's briefcase..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-2-5 11:44:21 AM |
| #1 Yeah, but what about the part where CIA officials get to grill him? We like the cooperation but that doesn't mean you get a free pass Musharraf. I bet the beans that Moammar, Saddam, and now Khan are spilling make a great TEXAS Chili. |
| Posted by: Daniel King 2004-2-5 10:53:39 AM |