A.Q Khan's 'secret letter' to wife?

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I think Pakistan decided to give nuclear tech to NK in return for missle technology. And an islamic bomb angle too wouldn't defy logic, given the influence of hardcore religious people HAD in your nations policies.

Yes - it is much more probable that some enrichment technology was traded to the north Koreans in return for plans for the liquid fueled Nodong series missiles that became the Ghauri I. However, here Khan argues that the technology was traded for 3 million USD - that's absurd from the perspective of a state, though not so much from the perspective of an individual or individuals.

Statements like that in the letter, along with the wrong claim about setting up an enrichment plant and others, throw the veracity of the entire letter in doubt.

But its sure that, a single man didnt make your nuclear arsneal and a single man alone cannot be blamed for nuclear prolifiration.

AQ Khan was in charge of the proliferation network, and the Pakistani state facilitated him in every way to make that proliferation network successful - BUT, that proliferation network, from the State's perspective, was designed and intended to proliferate INTO Pakistan. I had this discussion on how AQ Khan could have proliferated based on accounts and interviews in Gordon Corera's book:

"One crucial question is how Khan was able to transfer centrifuges on military planes. The planes were chartered through official channels in the defense procurement agency in Pakistan's defense ministry. The rationale was that, as well as cooperation over the Ghauri, KRL was involved in major conventional arms deals with NK, which at one point was Pakistan's major supplier of weaponry. This gave Khan the freedom to go back and forth and it is not clear that pilots or other officials linked with transport would necessarily recognize a centrifuge as distinct from say, a missile part. There was never any accountability or records over the movement of weapons and material in and out of Pakistan, a product of fighting covert wars in the 1980's in Afghanistan and in the late 1990's in Kashmir as well as well as running a clandestine procurement program. Covert activity had become an integral part of the Pakistani state and meant the Khan could go about his business with minimal oversight, whether acting on his own or not.

KRL was subject to tight security but Pakistani officials that this does not mean they knew what Khan was up to. The security was oriented towards shielding the lab and its scientitsts from external threats rather than keeping check on their activities. From the beginning, the whole rationale of security was to protect the program from the web of international non-proliferation controls, to ensure that external procurement networks went undetected by foreign intelligence agencies and that knowledge of them was restricted to those who needed to know. "The idea was to protect the national laboratories and national strategic organizations from all external threats, " says Feroz Khan who was involved in that security. "The key purpose was to provide them the space they needed to work rather than control them. They were not in anybody's oversight ... They were not seeing what packages were going and what was inside the packages." The same was true of the budgetary and financial aspects of KRL's work - their aim was to facilitate, not to check up on Khan's activity. Military officials were assigned to run his security detail amid fears that he might be kidnapped by a foreign intelligence agency to reveal Pakistan's secrets. But the security officers at KRL were actually paid by Khan himself not by the government. They were often retired officers or officers approaching the end of their career whose loyalty could be pliable. Military figures inevitably have claimed that this autonomy explains why Khan could have sold material without any state knowledge. "The Pakistan army, if they deputized a person to be responsible at the site about the security of the project or program, they were made responsible to the boss, that is Khan," argues General Beg. "They were not responsible to the Army chief - not before me, not after me, or to another army chief. They reported directly to the KRL and its directer, Khan. And it has come out that they were getting paid by him. So the army as such was involved in decision making policy - but not directly responsible for all that was happening within the Kahuta lab." The head of security at KRL Brigade General Mohammed Iqbal Tajwar was amongst Khan's closest confidants, traveling with him on his shopping and selling trips. Tajwar was one of those detained in late 2003 when Pakistan finally acted against Khan. he told interrogators that he had no idea what was going on.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/wmd-mi...n-tech-n-korean-long-range-missiles-us-5.html

And the contrasting way in which AQ Khan is treated itself is evident of the Pak role. If indeed he is guilty of nuclear prolifiration, its treason and he should have been delt with death penalty, but instead hes just cut off from the world and kept under house arrest.

So even if look at each and every word trying to find a logic, its very hard to digest that pak establishment didnt ever have a role in this entire episode.

But as I pointed out, it would be extremely hard for an elected government to try AQ Khan on any charges - he is still respected and considered a hero by many Pakistanis - there would be too much of a political backlash - that reluctance to try AQ Khan reflects political constraints, and is not on its own validation of a State role in outwards proliferation.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

And an islamic bomb angle too wouldn't defy logic, given the influence of hardcore religious people HAD in your nations policies.

An Islamic bomb would not defy logic, but if any one was to get it, the Saudis would.

Remember that the 'religious streak nurtured by Zia was of a Sunni kind, and that the relationships that existed from the times of the Afgahn Jihad in the military were the relationships with the Saudis and the Saudi Islam.

Saudi Arabia and Iran were on very hostile terms with each other, and therefore I find it hard to believe that given the Saudi-Pak relationship, the PA or GoP would support proliferating to Iran for nothing.

 

[praveen]

An Islamic bomb would not defy logic, but if any one was to get it, the Saudis would.

Remember that the 'religious streak nurtured by Zia was of a Sunni kind, and that the relationships that existed from the times of the Afgahn Jihad in the military were the relationships with the Saudis and the Saudi Islam.

Saudi Arabia and Iran were on very hostile terms with each other, and therefore I find it hard to believe that given the Saudi-Pak relationship, the PA or GoP would support proliferating to Iran for nothing.

But the letter says Benzair Bhutto did the proliferation, that was after Zia right

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

But the letter says Benzair Bhutto did the proliferation, that was after Zia right

The point is that Zia's Islamist influence exists to this day, and would have been extremely strong in the period after his death - in addition, it was during BB's term that the Taliban (to which the Iranians were bitterly opposed and because of which Iranian-Pak relations were further strained) were supported as a faction to bring about stability in Afghanistan, and that move had a lot of cooperation and backing from the Saudis and the UAE, both of whom also had strained relations with Iran.

So proliferating to Iran makes no sense given what Pakistan had to lose in terms of its relationship with the Saudis and Emirates and in turn negatively impact its objectives in Afghanistan.

 

[EjazR]

Just though I would post a transcript on this topic on CNN-IBN. Hopefully, it being an Indian news agency is not a problem in this case

India stays mum on AQ Khan letter, Pak writes it off

A letter written by Pakistani atomic scientist A Q Khan has allegedly revealed the country's nexus with the controversial nuclear programmes of Iran, North Korea and Libya. Several embarrassing questions are now being raised for the Pakistani establishment. Joining CNN-IBN on Talking Point to try and answer some of these questions were Pakistan's Ambassador to United Kingdom, Wajid Shamsul Hasan - who was a close aide of late Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto; and former Indian diplomat, K C Singh.

CNN-IBN: A Q Khan's revelations have come as a big embarrassment because he is specifically saying that he did deliver some of this nuclear equipment to Iran on instructions of Benazir Bhutto. Where does that leave the Pakistani establishment? Should we take it as the rantings of a frustrated nuclear scientist or is it Pakistan's lie exposed?

K C Singh: It's not so much what A Q Khan is saying. We have known much of it ourselves, some of it is dissimulation. This Benazir Bhutto thing is incorrect because A Q Khan had started the cooperation when Zia-ul-Haq was still alive and Benazir came in only after Zia's death. Zia may have known about it. But all evidence is that during her first term as prime minister, Benazir did not have the army on her side, they were not taking her into confidence. It was Generals Hamid Gul and Mirza Aslam Baig who were handling the military affairs. There was no question of them sharing anything with Benazir, but that is not significant. What is significant is how has this information come out and why now, because this is a letter which A Q Khan had purportedly prepared, it was his safety check. Of course he is frustrated and unhappy, but this letter surfacing at this time - is it the West having a scoop and then putting pressure on Pakistan? I don't see A Q Khan gaining anything by going public at this stage.

CNN-IBN: It does seem as if the President Zardari government is specifically in a particularly difficult situation now because after all, they are the ones who withdrew all the restrictions on A Q Khan. They now face a situation in a Pakistan where A Q Khan is still very much seen as a national hero.

K C Singh: I don't think A Q Khan will go public at the moment unless he has an impression that it is imminent he will be handed over to the Americans for interrogation. I don't think there is any danger of that. But it helps the Americans in embarrassing Pakistan, particularly when the Chinese statement comes in. That is significant because embarrassing China at this stage is good for putting pressure on Iran. The Americans need that for getting sanctions on Iran if Iran does not engage in a meaningful dialogue on the nuclear issue.

CNN-IBN: India has remained very quiet at the moment. Do you think India should be more vocal in its protests, particularly with the UN General Assembly coming up?

K C Singh: I think it's good to wait and watch. Let US react to it and let us see what they do. We are not a member of the UN Security Council. Perhaps it is best to just watch at the moment.

CNN-IBN: Mr Hasan, how embarrassing is this letter - which was leaked to a British daily - to Pakistan?

Wajid Shamsul Hasan: It's just a report. We have not confirmed it and neither has Dr A Q Khan. It could be some sort of a compile by a journalist who has written this at a time when President Zardari is going to visit the US to embarrass Pakistan. I think it is not appropriate to comment at this time because that chapter is closed and A Q Khan is in the past.

CNN-IBN: But Mr Hasan, the letter is very detailed and gives explanations of all that had happened over the last decade.We can question the timing, but the contents of the letter is something Pakistan can't run away from.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan: Whatever little I have read of that letter, I have seen that there is a factual mistake. Benazir Bhutto as far as I know - and I was very close to her - never indulged in these sort of things. She never supported proliferation. She as a matter of fact opposed it tooth and nail and during her two tenures, no proliferation took place. Dr A Q Khan has tried to involve her in that - supposedly. I don't think much of it, because in the past Dr Khan has never tried to involve Benazir in any of these proliferation things.

CNN-IBN: The letter very clearly mentions Brigadier Imtiaz who was Benazir Bhutto's defence advisor for a short period of time and says it was he who gave the instructions.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan: No he was not in a position to give any instructions because she was very clear on proliferation of nuclear material. In fact, she had come up with her own doctrine which said that no nuclear proliferation will take place during her time. There were suggestions made to her but she had opposed them. She had never allowed anything of that sort to happen and Dr A Q Khan knows this much too well.

India mum on AQ Khan letter, Pak writes it off : Single Page View

 

[Kompromat]

No Regrets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

A global cooperation between

Iran/Saudi/Pakistan/China/Russia is a matter of time


Saudis have started , to place orders for Russian Arms, slowly
Iran is already quite cozy with Russia
Pakistan is getting excited with love from Russia
China and Russia always get along like big brother little brother

thanks to US policies

, All these nations have alread requested the world funds be saved in either Euro or Yen instead of dollar so the global move has already begun towards a NWO2

(This last line was read up in news articles here that some nations are actively seeking to remove dollar from currency of business sorta speak , and move to anothe fund) I think they singled out Japan/Saudia/Russia /China

 

[Javed3]

We Pakistanis owe a collective apology to great national Hero Dr A Q Khan, our heads hang in shame for subjecting him to such treatment.

After we have "Secured" our Nukes to the satisfaction of the US; Iran is the next kid on the "Islamic Bomb" block!

Why are we so shamefully apologetic?

 

[abbasniazi]

No matter whatever people say, i admit, i was, i am, and i'll always be greatfull to the great man.

I RESPECT DR.KHAN FROM THE CORE OF MY HEART, EVEN IF ALL THE ALLEGATIONS TURNOUT TO BE TRUE AGAINST HIM, HE'LL ALWAYS BE THE GREATEST PATRIOT OF PAKISTAN AFTER QUAID-E-AZAM

 

[Reeves]

A Q Khan is our Hero, he did for the nation and the Muslim Ummah, what he did. The sacrifices he made for the nation are tremendous. He can still do alot good for the country and he wants to do more...
When time comes there will be many A Q Khan's for Pakistan, we wont let ou heroes unsung..!