Los Angeles Times has an editorial on how to test America’s new ally. This would be by letting Americans question AQ Khan, the national hero who sold nuclear technology to the Axis of Evil.
The pardon might have been a reflection of Khan’s status as national hero for being the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, giving the country parity with longtime foe and next-door neighbor India. Musharraf’s pardon came soon after he survived the second of two assassination attempts. His foes are not leaders of major political parties $(O h(Be banned them from running for office $(O b(But Islamic radicals from the likes of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Pakistan said it would share information it obtained from Khan with other nations, but sources in Washington said they had received nothing so far. So much for help from a supposed major ally.
North Korea claimed this week that its explosions were not nuclear weapons tests but demolition of a mountain for a hydroelectric project. Khan could help the U.S. and the IAEA understand how much of Pyongyang’s explanations to believe. Musharraf should make him available for face-to-face interviews with nuclear inspectors, not dangle the ever-fainter promise of some day offering secondhand tales of what Khan knows about the state of nuclear proliferation.[Testing Our ‘Ally,’ Pakistan]
This would be wishful thinking.
Questioning AQ Khan will be possible.
But will it be worthwhile?
The delay will have enabled the erasing of most evidence (At least those which incriminate pakistans rulers). Secondly US will have to dole out another lot of special goodies to pakistan for the handover.
From Musharraf’s interview with Peter Jennings today, AQ will not be available for interviews with Ameicans
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/World/pervez_musharraf_interview_040920-4.html
MUSHARRAF: Nobody has asked, number one. Number two, we don’t want to make him available because we have good interrogators. I mean, it undermines our own capability. We can do it ourselves. And we have done it. We have shared all the information that we have. So not only is it a lack of confidence in our capability, but it also shows mistrust in us. It doesn’t make us so happy.
BUSH: If you hand over AQ Khan I will never take up the issue of you relinquishing the post of army chief. we will look the other way and let you make your decision. Also more goodies for Pakistan.
That should do it.
Give him Money, Musharraf will sell Pakistan. He took money to create Taliban and he is taking money to destory it.
There problem solved
The forgotten Centrifugist
Nuclear proliferation cannot seriously be tackled until the A Q Khan affair is cleared up
It would be a shame if the A Q Khan affair were to be allowed to slip through America’s electoral cracks, but that is exactly what Nicholas Kristof fears is h…