Pakistani Admits Selling Nuclear Secrets - Military

[ze_dscherman]

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Top Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan has admitted selling nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya, but authorities have yet to decide whether the national hero will go on trial, officials said on Monday.

Khan was sacked as adviser to the prime minister on Saturday and is the main suspect in a two-month investigation into allegations that individuals passed on Pakistan's nuclear weapons secrets to countries including Libya, Iran and North Korea.

Seven suspects are still under investigation, but senior former military and intelligence officials -- who experts say must have known about Khan's activities -- are not being questioned.

Putting Khan on trial is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where he is revered as a national hero and the father of not only the country's, but the Islamic world's atomic bomb.

"He (Khan) has admitted these things," said a military official on condition of anonymity, referring to allegations that Khan illegally leaked nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and possibly North Korea.

http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4259824

[jamesinca]

1. You beet me to it

I just checked my mail box for the times and you beet me to this one by only a few.

[ze_dscherman]

2. What's your time zone?

Mine is UTC + 1, so it's already noon here - so actually I'm posting quite late.

[jamesinca]

3. Pacific

it is 3:00 am here. 8hrs behind the prime meridian ( London) time

[varun]

4. Key Pakistani Is Said to Admit Atom Transfers

this is what he has admitted to...there's a lot that has not been admitted. That includes transfer of nuclear tech to terrorists and Al-Qaeda.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/02/international/asia/02STAN.html?pagewanted=2

Key Pakistani Is Said to Admit Atom Transfers
By DAVID ROHDE and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: February 2, 2004

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 1 — The founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has signed a detailed confession admitting that during the last 15 years he provided Iran, North Korea and Libya with the designs and technology to produce the fuel for nuclear weapons, according to a senior Pakistani official and three Pakistani journalists who attended a special government briefing here on Sunday night....

[GreyV]

5. Oh please....

"produce the fuel for nuclear weapons"? This isn't 1943, and such things are known by any well educated physics and metallurgy professor. Same goes for missile technology. Ever heard of sounding rockets?

Where in the article does it say anything about "transfer of nuclear tech to terrorists and Al-Qaeda"? This sounds like all those stories in early 2002 when the anti-Muslim fervor was at an all time high and American public saw Al-qaeda operative in every Muslim, Sikh, or Indian. All of them were either proved lies or there was no proof at all. When Chinese, Israeli, and Russian scientists do this it's never heard of, but when a Pakistani does it then its all over the news. Indian nuclear program was pretty much made possible by Russians. North Korean one was made possible by Chinese, and Chinese was made possible by the Israelis and Russians. Israeli one was made by Russian and American scientists. In fact most of the countries who now have nuclear capabilities either got the know-how from Russia or America. In the case of NATO and European nations US is pretty much responsible. As for those countries arming themselves? Why not, its well known by now that if you have nuclear weapons it will ensure the survival of your government and security of of your population.

[Moderator]

6. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=342621