Pak must give access to A Q Khan: US lawmakers

[Gabbar]

Pak must give access to A Q Khan: US lawmakers

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation aiming to cut off military aid to Pakistan unless US officials are able to question
alleged nuclear proliferator Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Khan, released from house arrest in early February, "is again a loose nuke scientist with proven ability to sell the worst weapons to the worst people," said Democratic Representative Jane Harman, a lead author of the bill.

The legislation would also tie continued US military aid - equipment, supplies, and training - to getting satisfactory assurances from Islamabad that it is monitoring Khan's movements and activities.

"Hopefully, appropriate Pakistani officials worry as we do that their civilians could become nuclear targets - as could NATO soldiers in neighboring Afghanistan or civilians in any number of Western countries," said Harman.

The measure would tie aid to White House certification that Pakistan is making Khan available to the US government for questioning and is giving "adequate assurances" that it will watch him "to prevent his participation in any efforts to disseminate nuclear technology or know-how."

It would also, however, give President Barack Obama the power to waive the restriction if he certifies that it is in the US national interest to do so.

Khan, 72, was freed by a Pakistani court February 6.

He had been under a virtual house arrest in Islamabad since February 2004, when he publicly confessed to sending nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, although he later retracted his remarks.

Military ruler and then president Pervez Musharraf pardoned Khan in 2004, but he was kept at his residence, guarded by troops and intelligence agents.

Days after the court ordered Khan, dubbed the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, freed from house arrest, a US State Department official said Islamabad had promised steps to keep him from becoming a renewed proliferation threat.

But the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Washington was skeptical and wanted more "solid" assurances that Pakistan was restricting his movements and contacts.

"I understand that he has to notify (his) government 48 hours in advance if he wants to travel outside of Islamabad. That's one of the things they've communicated to us," according to the official.

Khan's release came after the United States, one of Pakistan's key allies, on January 12 unveiled sanctions against Khan, 12 associates and three firms linked to his nuclear proliferation network.

The US sanctions forbid them from having business dealings with the US government or private US firms in what the State Department said was a renewed bid to make sure the network has been shut down entirely.

Democratic Representatives Ellen Tauscher and Gerry Connolly and Republican Representative Ed Royce joined Harman in introducing the measure.

Pak must give access to A Q Khan: US lawmakers-US-World-The Times of India

[Silverfalcon]

Threatening to cut the aid ? , well CUT the aid , its harming us more then helping us ( in the long run )

[Bane Blade]

I wonder if AQ Khan will be given though Pakistan has really learnt to live off the aid from US and we have never exactly said no to them.

[qsaark]

Originally Posted by Gabbar

Pak must give access to A Q Khan: US lawmakers

Thread on this issue was started by metalfalcon as "You WANT Billions of $$s give us A.Q Khan" in War on Terror section.

PLEASE, browse through various sections BEFORE starting a new thread on similar issues.

[S-2]

Can you merge this thread, please?

Thanks.

[ejaz007]

US lawmakers want access to Dr Qadeer

* Proposed legislation aims at severing military aid to Pakistan unless allowed to question nuclear scientist

WASHINGTON: United States lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation aiming to cut off military aid to Pakistan unless US officials were able to question alleged nuclear proliferator Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Khan, released from house arrest in early February, “is again a loose nuke scientist with proven ability to sell the worst weapons to the worst people”, said Democratic Representative Jane Harman, a lead author of the bill.

The legislation would also tie continued US military aid — equipment, supplies, and training — to getting satisfactory assurances from Islamabad that it was monitoring Khan’s movements and activities.s.

“Hopefully, appropriate Pakistani officials worry as we do that their civilians could become nuclear targets — as could NATO soldiers in neighboring Afghanistan or civilians in any number of Western countries,” said Harman..

The measure would tie aid to White House certification that Pakistan was making Khan available to the US government for questioning and was giving “adequate assurances” that it will watch him “to prevent his participation in any efforts to disseminate nuclear technology or know-how”.

It would also, however, give President Barack Obama the power to waive the restriction if he certified that it was in the US national interest to do so.

A Pakistani court freed Khan, 72, on February 6.

He had been under a virtual house arrest in Islamabad since February 2004, when he publicly confessed to sending nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, although he later retracted his remarks.

Military ruler and then president Pervez Musharraf pardoned Khan in 2004, but he was kept at his residence, guarded by troops and intelligence agents. afp

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

[Gabbar]

AQ Khan is the world's greatest proliferator: US

WASHINGTON: Describing Pakistan's rogue nuclear scientist A Q Khan as "probably the world's greatest proliferator," the US has said that the damage
he has caused is "incalculable."

"With respect to A Q Khan, there's no doubt he is probably the world's greatest proliferator. The damage that he's done around the world has been incalculable," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday in response to a question from a lawmaker at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

"We have made it very clear that the network had to be dismantled and it was. There are people who were connected with A Q Khan who are out of business or who were imprisoned. And there are ongoing efforts to continue to obtain useful information," Clinton said.

Khan, 73, was slapped with US sanctions along with those on his network. He was put under house arrest in 2004 by then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf after he admitted having passed nuclear know-how to North Korea and Iran.

Khan was released by a Pakistani court from house arrest in February this year.