NOTORIOUS PAKISTAN A-BOMB SCIENTIST TRIES POLITICS

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PAKISTAN_NUCLEAR_SCIENTIST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-29-15-01-52

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- The man who made Pakistan into a nuclear power and later admitted to leaking atomic secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya is going into politics, aiming to shake up the country ahead of national elections.

That could provoke some grumbling in the United States, where Abdul Qadeer Khan is viewed as a pariah. At home, however, he is a national hero for his pivotal role in developing nuclear weapons and has been lionized by Islamists for making Pakistan the world's only Muslim nuclear power.

It's unclear whether the 76-year-old nuclear scientist will be able to translate this public adoration into political support.

The goal of Khan's new movement - Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz Pakistan, or Movement for Protection of Pakistan - is not to field candidates, but to encourage young Pakistanis to participate in upcoming elections and reject "incompetent politicians," Khan told The Associated Press during an interview Tuesday.