JEDDAH, 26 February 2004 — Pakistan’s Ambassador Abdul Aziz Mirza has dismissed criticism of Pakistan’s handling of the nuclear proliferation issue and said that individuals rather than the government were involved. Defending Pakistan’s action against some scientists, the ambassador, in Jeddah on a short visit, briefed Pakistani journalists on the measures taken by the government to ensure that no proliferation takes place in future.
“No Pakistani government was ever involved in nuclear proliferation. Pakistan is a responsible country and its nuclear system is in safe hands. Any proliferation would only have been on an individual basis for ‘personal greed or ambition,’” the ambassador said. He said the confession by Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan testifies to the fact that the Pakistan government was not involved in any way. Abdul Qadeer Khan publicly admitted to transferring nuclear technology abroad, begged for clemency and President Pervez Musharraf pardoned him.
To a question about Khan’s involvement, the ambassador said: “Dr. Khan headed the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and being the father of the nuclear program, he was exempted from all checks. All governments, including that of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, gave Khan complete autonomy.”
Ambassador Mirza said Pakistan’s investigations into the proliferation issue had won it world appreciation. He said that things had changed now and the government had taken stringent measures to ensure that no proliferation takes place in future.
President Musharraf reiterated Pakistan’s determination that no such activity would be allowed in future as Pakistan’s nuclear program is firmly under the control of the National Command Authority (NCA), the body that oversees the country’s nuclear assets. NCA was established in 2000. The ambassador said the government has intensified its probe and has detained some people for questioning about nuclear proliferation after Dr. Khan admitted to leaking nuclear secrets.
The ambassador said reports that hardware had been transferred in military aircraft were absolutely baseless. He also denied that Pakistan had quizzed its scientists or taken action against them because of international pressure. He said, however, that the inquiry against the scientists had been prompted by a letter from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Regarding Pakistan’s relations with Iran after the episode, the ambassador said some individuals’ action would not affect “our relations.” About relations with the United States, he said Islamabad and Washington were long-time friends. “We share common concerns — drugs, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Both Pakistan and US are fighting these evils,” he said.
