US-Pak relations ‘coldest since 9/11’

ISLAMABAD: The reopening of the AQ Khan case for a hearing by the American Congress last week has further strained the already aggravated relations between Washington and Islamabad, with General Pervez Musharraf’s refusal to allow direct access to the Americans for an interrogation of the detained scientist. 

Pakistan had officially closed its investigation into nuclear proliferation by Khan last month, and while the scientist remains under house arrest in Islamabad, the government insists it has given Washington all the details they could get out of him. However, a US Congress subcommittee on international terrorism and non-proliferation heard the testimony of two nuclear experts last week, who said the proliferation case against Khan was far from closed and that the nuclear scientist should be exposed to further inquiry by the International Atomic Energy Agency so that the real extent of his help in the development of Iran’s  covert nuclear programme could be determined. The US law makers further urged Pakistan to extract more information from Khan, alleging that he may yet hold the blueprints to some of Iranian nuclear secrets.

The four-member panel that convened the hearing on May 25 painted Pakistan as a dangerous country for its proliferation activities. They pressed the Bush administration to get information on the extent to which countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, have moved along in their nuclear programmes and that information can only be accessed by meeting A Q Khan.

In fact, while implicating the Pakistan government in sharing nuclear technology with other Muslim countries, the committee chairman claimed that General Zia ul-Haq used to speak with reference to the entire Muslim world when it came to sharing and acquiring nuclear technology. The thrust at the hearing was that the real responsibility for the Khan network lies with the Pakistani military establishment including Musharraf, and no concrete step has been taken to gauge Khan’s actual involvement in proliferation.

The infamous pamphlet that was produced by KRL and distributed at the IDEAS 2000 defence exhibition, which offered nuclear technology for sale was produced as evidence of the government of Pakistan’s intentions to freely export nuclear technology. The pamphlet produced by KRL did have the name of the government of Pakistan written on it. Another theme that repeatedly came up was that Pakistani nuclear weapons are not in secure hands and that the Bush administration needs to engage with this serious and potentially dangerous situation.

The timing of the Congressional hearing coincides with the debate on Indo-US nuclear deal and the sale of F-16s to Pakistan. In fact, these issues were raised by the panel members and the witnesses at the congressional hearing who insisted that because of Pakistan’s track record on proliferation, it should not have access to nuclear technology. But official circles in Islamabad describe Congressional hearing as a pressure tactic to get Pakistan to cooperate more in combating terrorism and arraigning the Taliban working against the Karzai government in Kabul. According to a report in the Daily Times, US-Pakistan relations are seen as “at their coldest since 9/11” because of these factors.

Imran Khan wants Musharraf out

Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has sought President Pervez Musharraf's removal and said the upcoming elections should be held under an independent Election Commission. “Those who created rift in the opposition are fully supporting President Musharraf but it is vital that he should be ousted for the country’s integrity,” Pakistan Times quoted Khan as saying. He accused the President of creating fissure between Pakistan and Afghanistan due to his failed policies and said the struggle against President Musharraf’s army uniform would continue unabated. Khan said hatred against Pakistan as a federation and Punjab province was increasing due to the ongoing military operation in Baluchistan and Waziristan.