New York, Feb 10: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has acknowledged for the first time that he had suspected for at least three years that his country's top scientist was sharing nuclear technology with other countries, but argued the US had not given him convincing proof.
In an hour-long interview with the 'New York Times' yesterday Musharraf shared blame for the delay with Washington, saying it was not until October that American officials provided him with evidence of the activities of the scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan. "If they knew it earlier, they should have told us," Musharraf was quoted as saying. "Maybe a lot of things would not have happened." Musharraf told the paper that he had seen signs that Khan was sharing nuclear technology, including "illegal contacts, maybe suspicions of contacts," and "suspicious movement" connected to Khan's laboratory. However, he said he was concerned that investigating Khan, a national hero in Pakistan for his role in developing its nuclear weapons, could provoke a political backlash. "It was extremely sensitive," he was quoted as saying. "One couldn't outright start investigating as if he's any common criminal." He attributed his protectiveness to Khan's national stature to political realities in Pakistan, saying "since he had acquired a larger-than-life figure for himself, one had to pardon him to satisfy the public and I think it has gone extremely positively." Bureau Report