ISLAMABAD: Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who made international headlines in 2004 after publicly confessing his role in global nuclear proliferation, has petitioned Pakistan’s top court to say he is being “kept prisoner” by government agencies and not allowed to plead his case for freedom of movement.
Khan, widely described as the architect of the nuclear weapons program in Pakistan, which tested its first atomic bomb in 1998 to rival that of neighboring India, was sacked from his official position after his confession, but granted clemency by then President Pervez Musharraf.
He has since lived a heavily guarded and mostly secluded life in an upscale Islamabad neighborhood. Authorities say he is under guard for security reasons.
“I had been kept as a prisoner having no free movement or meeting with anybody,” Khan said in a handwritten note submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The 84-year-old is said to have helped supply designs, hardware and materials to make enriched uranium for atomic bombs to Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Global nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency had said Khan was an important part of the nuclear black market and had help from people in many different countries.
In a televised statement in 2004 after meeting then president Musharraf, who was also the chief of Pakistan’s powerful Army, Khan stressed he acted independently and the government had not authorized his activities.
Western diplomats have long doubted whether he could have acted alone. Talking to the Guardian newspaper in 2008, Khan said the confession “was handed into my hand”.
Khan filed a petition last year saying that, despite earlier court orders allowing him freedom of movement under agreed terms, he was still kept under restraint and in fear of “physical harm.”
On Thursday, he sent a note to the judges hearing his case saying he was to appear before them the day before, but agents of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) did not take him to the courtroom despite bringing him into the court building.
The SPD is headed by the Pakistani military and responsible for handling the country’s secretive nuclear weapons program.
The government of Pakistan, which has been made respondent in the case, did not reply to Reuters’ requests for comment. The court has directed the government to respond to Khan’s petition.
“We haven’t received notice yet but it will come,” Pakistan’s Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan told Reuters by text, adding the court has to decide if it will accept the petition for regular hearing.
Khan also said in his note to the Supreme Court that he was being forced to withdraw his petition to that court and take it to a lower court.
Architect of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program tells court he is ‘kept prisoner’
https://arab.news/2vwjx
Architect of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program tells court he is ‘kept prisoner’
- Dr. A Q Khan lives a heavily guarded and mostly secluded life in an upscale Islamabad neighborhood
- He was sacked in 2004 after publicly confessing his role in global nuclear proliferation but granted clemency
Pakistan says Iraq expressed ‘keen interest’ in JF-17 jets at air chiefs meeting
- Pakistan’s defense sector has drawn growing interest and investment since a four-day standoff with India in May last year
- Many countries have since increased defense engagement, while multiple others have proposed learning from Pakistan’s expertise
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that Iraq had shown “keen interest” in its JF-17 Thunder and Super Mushshak aircraft at a meeting between chiefs of the two air forces.
Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu called on Lt. Gen. Staff Pilot Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed Radi Al-Asadi, commander of the Iraqi Air Force, during his official visit to Iraq.
The Pakistani air chief was accorded a guard of honor at the Iraqi Air Force headquarters, symbolizing the strong bond of mutual respect, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
“Discussions focused on enhancing bilateral military cooperation, with emphasis on joint training, capacity-building and improving operational cooperation,” the ISPR said.
“The Iraqi Air Chief praised PAF’s professionalism and technological advancement, expressed interest in benefiting from PAF’s world-class training and expressed keen interest in JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, Super Mushshak trainer aircraft.”
Pakistan’s defense sector has drawn growing interest and investment, particularly since a four-day India-Pakistan military standoff in May last year. Islamabad claimed victory in the standoff, saying it had shot down six Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets. India acknowledged losses but did not specify a number.
Many countries have since stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple other nations have proposed learning from Pakistan Air Force’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that successfully demonstrated how advanced Chinese military technology performs against Western hardware.
Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17 as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.
Islamabad is in the final phases of striking a $1.5-billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan in a major boost for Sudan’s army that has been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Reuters reported this week, citing a former top air force official and three sources.
The South Asian country reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, Reuters report last month, citing Pakistani officials. The deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever weapons sales, included the sale of 16 JF-17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft for basic pilot training.
