UN desperate to question ‘father of Islamic Bomb’

Sunday Telegraph: Washington has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to allow its disgraced nuclear scientist, A Q Khan, to be questioned by United Nations inspectors, after fresh traces of enriched uranium were found on equipment used at an Iranian military site. The Sunday Telegraph

By Massoud Ansari in Karachi and Philip Sherwell

Washington has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to allow its disgraced nuclear scientist, A Q Khan, to be questioned by United Nations inspectors, after fresh traces of enriched uranium were found on equipment used at an Iranian military site.

Dr Khan, who is under house arrest, is believed to hold vital information about Iran’s controversial atomic programme, having sold nuclear machinery, plans and technology to the Islamic regime.

Gen Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president, is resisting pressure for access by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials.

It is believed that this is because Dr Khan, 71, who is revered by Pakistanis as “the father of the Islamic bomb”, could reveal embarrassing details about the role of senior military and government figures in his renegade nuclear network.

Information from Dr Khan could add crucial insights to the recent discovery, by IAEA inspectors, of enrichment contamination on machinery previously used at Teheran’s Lavizan-Shian military complex.

The find has dealt a blow to Iran’s claims that its sole nuclear goal is the generation of power, rather than, as Western intelligence agencies believe, an atomic bomb.

The Lavizan-Shian facility was razed in 2004, on the orders of the Teheran government, before IAEA staff could inspect it. The IAEA believes that Dr Khan could provide valuable information about the work taking place there.

The renewed pressure for access to Dr Khan comes as Iran faces intense UN scrutiny over its nuclear operations.

In an email to member states on Thursday, the IAEA said Iran had launched a fresh round of uranium enrichment last week, even as world powers offered it trade and technological incentives to halt the work.

To the dismay of United States politicians, Pakistan has declared the case against Dr Khan as “closed”, despite few signs of any meaningful investigation.

All 12 associates of Dr Khan, arrested on suspicion of involvement in the nuclear proliferation racket, have now been released.

Gen Hameed Gul, the former head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, told The Sunday Telegraph: “They want to squeeze Dr Khan to use his statements as evidence for the upcoming meeting of the UN Security Council. Support from Beijing and Moscow would only be possible if the US is able to provide ample evidence, and Dr Khan’s words could be instrumental.”