Gen: Scientists 145;sold146; secrets

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday it appeared Pakistani scientists had sold nuclear secrets, but reiterated Islamabad8217;...

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday it appeared Pakistani scientists had sold nuclear secrets, but reiterated Islamabad8217;s position that there had been no official involvement.

Pakistan says it began questioning its nuclear scientists, including the father of its atomic bomb Dr A.Q. Khan, after the IAEA began investigating possible links between the Pakistani and Iranian nuclear programmes.

Musharraf said while attending the WEF in Davos that the investigation, launched in November, would be finished in 8216;8216;a few weeks8217;8217;. Asked the likely outcome, he replied: 8216;8216;Well, I would not like to predict, but it appears that some individuals were involved for personal financial gain.8217;8217;

He went further than past statements from his government that individual scientists 8216;8216;may8217;8217; have transferred nuclear technology to Iran. He said similar allegations had been made against European individuals and countries, 8216;8216;So it is not Pakistan alone8217;8217;. And he stressed: 8216;8216;There is no such evidence that any government personality or military personality was involved in this at all.8217;8217; Asked about reports that Pakistani scientists had also transferred technology to Libya and N Korea, he said: 8216;8216;I am not denying anything as we are investigating; we have sent teams to Libya and to Iran and we are in contact with the IAEA8217;8217;

He vowed 8216;8216;stern action8217;8217; against violators: 8216;8216;There is nothing that we want to hide, we want to be very clear about it that we will move against anybody who proliferated,8217;8217; he said. Pakistan would move against any violator 8216;8216;as they are enemies of the state,8217;8217; he said.

The US suspects Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb under cover of an atomic energy programme Tehran insists is purely peaceful.

International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA chief Mohamed Elbaradei was asked in Davos on Thursday about reports that nuclear know-how and technology may have reached Iran or Libya from Pakistan. He replied: 8216;8216;I think what we know is that there have been individuals involved. I do not want to jump to conclusions and say a government is involved.8217;8217;

Story continues below this ad

Two Dutch ministers said on Monday there were 8216;8216;indications8217;8217; North Korea and Libya may have acquired potentially arms-related nuclear technology developed by British-Dutch-German consortium Urenco that Pakistan and Iran are known to possess.

Western diplomats have said Pakistani individuals may have helped Tripoli and Pyongyang obtain the technology, in addition to Tehran. Abdul Qadeer Khan worked for Urenco in the 1970s. After his return to Pakistan in the 1980s was sentenced in absentia by an Amsterdam court to four years8217; jail for attempted espionage, a decision later overturned on appeal. 8212;Reuters