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
Saudi defense minister meets Pakistan army chief, discusses security issues
- Khalid bin Salman says both countries reaffirmed strategic defense partnership
- The meeting follows last year’s joint defense pact deepening military relations
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said on Thursday he had met Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir to reaffirm the strategic defense partnership and discuss cooperation to promote global peace and security.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of deepening defense and security ties between the two countries. Last September, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral defense accord that elevated long-standing military cooperation into a formal security commitment, with both sides pledging to treat aggression against one as a threat to the other.
“Met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to reaffirm our strong relations and strategic defense partnership,” the Saudi minister said in a social media post. “We discussed our joint efforts to promote global peace and security in a manner that serves our shared interests.”
https://x.com/kbsalsaud/status/2021970225579847828?s=20
The talks take place at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the conflict in Gaza far from resolution amid ongoing ceasefire violations by Israel.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long maintained close economic, diplomatic and security ties, and coordination between the two sides has intensified since the signing of the defense pact.
The two countries are also part of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and have pressed for progress toward an independent Palestinian state and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza along with other Muslim nations.
The Middle East has also been on edge as the United States pursues nuclear negotiations with Iran, prompting many regional states to call for diplomacy rather than new military flare-ups.
So far, Pakistan’s military has not issued a detailed statement about Thursday’s meeting.
Earlier this month, Pakistani officials attended the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, a major international exhibition bringing together governments, armed forces and global defense manufacturers.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have also discussed expanding economic cooperation, including efforts to combine Pakistan’s production capacity with Saudi capital and access to regional markets, according to Pakistan’s commerce ministry.
