Pakistan
and Nukes
By M. Akram Shaheedi
Press minister
Embassy of Pakistan
Washington
This refers to Arnaud de Borchgrave's "A
$1.5 trillion mistake" (Commentary, May 6,
The Washington Times). Pakistan acquired missile
technology from North Korea by making payments
in hard cash and there was absolutely no trading
of a Pakistani nuke for Korean missiles. The writer
has picked up the references from here and there
to suit his pre-conceived layout of the article.
He has mentioned that Dr. A. Q. Khan made 13 trips
to North Korea in 2004 where he traded the deal
between the two countries. He has picked up this
figure from the article of Gaurav Kampani, a Canadian
national of Indian origin who used this figure
without substantiating his claim. Dr. Khan went
to North Korea only as apart of the Pakistani
delegation assigned to negotiate the acquisition
of missile technology.
The assertion that Dr. Khan made $100 million
is also a wild guess, and if it is true, the money
must be lying in banks somewhere in the free world.
We have no means to find out the authenticity
of the amount. Before implicating the head of
the state it is the duty of the writer to check
his information and just not rely on hearsay.
It is not just in bad taste; it also raises question
of intellectual integrity.
Pakistan rejects the mindset that is bent upon
maligning the country. It is a well-known fact
that illegal networks of nuclear technology have
been operating in more than 30 countries and predate
Dr. Khan. This fact has been acknowledged by the
Director General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency. I can say with full responsibility that
Pakistan has successfully dismantled the A. Q.
Khan network.
I wish the writer had gone through the recently
released report of the International Institute
of Strategic Studies, which has given a balanced
view in detail on the issue. His attention may
also be drawn to the arrests of Indian nationals
about a few weeks ago on charges of exporting
missile technology from the United States to India.
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