'Disgraced Pak nuclear scientist should be kept under wraps'

An editorial in a Pakistani daily has said that the 'disgraced' nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan should be kept under wraps so that no irreversible damage is done to the country, especially when the West is already hawkish about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

Earlier, Khan, in an interview to a local daily has held former premier Benazir Bhutto responsible for transferring nuclear technology to two different countries, the name of which he declined to reveal.

According to Khan, since it was an order coming from the then prime minister, he had no other option but to comply. He has had a tendency to divulge sensitive secrets in the past as well.

Years back he told to the world about Pakistan's success in making the bomb. In 2004, he publicly accepted his involvement in selling nuclear secrets to Libya, North Korea and Iran. Now he is pointing fingers at Benazir Bhutto, which stretches credibility, the editorial in the Daily Times said.

Pakistan's nuclear programme has always been under the tight control of the military and no civilian government has ever been allowed even to sneak a look at it, leave alone to take any decision about it. The PPP government has rebutted this statement, calling it Khan's desperate attempt to cleanse the stigma on him of nuclear proliferation, it stated.

A person of Khan's calibre should not be talking in such an irresponsible manner. A scientist engaged in such high level and sensitive work is not supposed to discuss such issues. After all it is a matter of national security that could come under serious threat by careless assertions, the editorial further said.

Khan has recently launched his political party, Tehrik-e-Tahafuz Pakistan and plans to fight corruption in the country through it. He will contest the upcoming elections as well.

Since relieved of house arrest, Khan has been in the news either through his write-ups or different statements on the socio-political situation of Pakistan. His latest allegation on Benazir and on other leadership of the country is seen as an attempt to gain political mileage which if not checked could eventually become dangerous for the country, the editorial concluded.