ISLAMABAD, 8 February 2005 — Pakistan foreign office spokesman Masood Khan yesterday said investigations for complete elimination of the nuclear proliferation network were continued, however he said the network does not exist now and dismissed as “baseless” a report in a US magazine.
Masood Khan said the nuclear technology black marketing network was not operational and Pakistan has taken effective measures in this respect.
The international community including IAEA were informed about the investigations and Pakistan was still inquiring into the matter for complete elimination of the illegal proliferation network.
He said the story in the US magazine was without facts and baseless adding that Pakistan as a responsible nuclear power was cooperating with the international community. Pakistan has rejected the report published in a US magazine regarding Dr. Qadeer Khan’s network declaring it baseless.
Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also said the US weekly ‘Time’ has fabricated this news to make it sensational.
Sheikh Rashid asserted that the information about the missing 16 cylinders was wrong, “as we have all the records and nothing went out of KRL.”
“There is nothing in (the case of) Saudi Arabia that may be attributed to Pakistan,” he said. However, he did not rule out that Dr. Khan’s network may have been more extensive than believed.
“We don’t know of any other country that he gave nuclear technology to. But if there is another country, we will investigate. If there are any questions (for Khan) we will ask them.”
Ahmed also rejected a claim in Time that cylinders used for uranium enrichment had gone missing from the Khan Research Laboratories facility. “All those items are listed and all are there,” he said.
The US has given questions to Pakistan to ask Dr. Khan but has not been allowed to interrogate him.
Ahmed said the scientist “will not be handed over to anyone”.
The information minister said that Pakistan was in regular contact with IAEA for removing any apprehension that they might have, but Qadeer Khan would not be handed over to anyone.
The news weekly, citing a source in Pakistan’s Defense Ministry, said that Khan had also played a bigger role in helping Iran and North Korea with their nuclear programs than had been previously disclosed.
“US intelligence officials believe Khan sold North Korea much of the material needed to build a bomb, including high-speed centrifuges used to enrich uranium and the equipment required to manufacture more of them,” Time said.
Iran also may have bought centrifuges and weapons designs from Khan in the mid-1990s, Time said, adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had confirmed at least 13 meetings between 1994 and 1999 with representatives of Khan’s network.
Among the countries known to have been helped by Khan was Libya. Time said the Pakistani scientist had given the Libyans equipment for centrifuges and “technical instructions for how to build a nuclear warhead.”
Time said the US and IAEA investigators believe Khan also traveled to Middle East and to such African countries as Sudan, Ivory Coast and Niger. It said the purpose of those trips “remains unclear.”
The magazine said the United States does not have “concrete evidence” that Khan did business with Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, but “there is reason to suspect that such a link exists.
Sheikh Rashid said that the report regarding Saudi Arab have not an iota of truth.
Riaz to Replace Khokhar
as Foreign Secretary
In what could be described as a major reshuffle in the Foreign Office, Pakistan’s ambassador to China Riaz Muhammad Khan will replace Riaz Khokhar as foreign secretary on Feb. 15.
Diplomatic sources said that Riaz Muhammad Khan would arrive in Islamabad on Feb. 11 to take charge of his new duty.
In another shuffle, ambassador to Turkey Sher Afgan will be returning home to be appointed special secretary at the Foreign Ministry. Sources have predicted a large-scale reshuffle in the Foreign Office and Pakistan’s missions abroad further down the road. Additional Secretary Salman Bashir will go to China next month to take charge as Pakistan’s ambassador.
Additional Secretary Saeed Khalid will be Pakistan’s new ambassador to Brussels after the retirement of Tariq Fatmi.
Additional Secretary Hassan Sarmad is likely to be appointed as Pakistan’s new ambassador to Spain. Sources said the new foreign secretary would form a team of his chocie. “In this context, Pakistan’s ambassador to Nepal Zamir Akram is likely to be recalled,” sources added.
They said the government was also considering appointing additional secretary Asia-Pacific and additional secretary Americas at the Foreign Office.
Sources said Pakistan’s ambassador to Sweden was likely to be replaced with Additional Secretary Mohsin Hafeez.
