US not seeking direct access to A Q Khan: Karamat

ISLAMABAD: The United States was not seeking direct access to disgraced scientist A Q Khan for questioning in connection with his nuclear proliferation network and its renewed interest in his case was due to a  Congressional hearing on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, Pakistan's outgoing Ambassador to Washington said.

General (retd) Jehangir Karamat, the former Army Chief who was reportedly relinquishing his post in Washington due to differences with Pakistan government, said he believed the US was not seeking direct access to Khan, and the sudden interest of some members of the US Congress over the issue was linked to a hearing on the Indo-US nuclear deal, which revived interest in all issues relating to nuclear proliferation.

His observations were contrary to perceptions at home where top officials, including Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri, have been asserting that Pakistan would not permit questioning of Khan. Also, Pakistan's Senate on Friday unanimously passed a resolution criticising the US for pressurising Islamabad over the nuclear scientist who has been placed under house arrest.

Karamat said in an interview to the local daily 'Dawn' that Pakistan should be consolidating its ties with Washington and the Hamid Karzai government in Afghanistan.

The outgoing Pakistani envoy to the US had earlier in 1998 stepped down as the Army Chief paving the way for General Pervez Musharraf's appointment to the post by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.