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Journalism of Courage
Voicing concern over the US reopening investigations into the proliferation network of disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, President Pervez Musharraf has said he will not permit any direct questioning of the scientist.
‘‘It is a matter of concern that A.Q. Khan chapter is opened every now and then,’’ he said referring to the probe by the US Congress Sub-committee into Khan’s nuclear network after Islamabad declared it had closed the chapter of investigations.
While dismissing demands for handing over Khan for questioning to any foreign country, Musharraf also gave a clean chit to the detained nuclear scientist over allegations that he helped Syrian nuclear programme in addition to that of Iran, Libya and North Korea.
‘‘We are not allowing any direct access to any foreign agent to Khan, our own investigators are competent enough to conduct inquiries. They should tell us what is the problem and we will investiagte. I take it as insult that Pakistan cannot do the job. What it implies is that we don’t have capability and we are not telling the truth,’’ he said.
‘Uniform is my second skin’
ISLAMABAD: Pervez Musharraf, who plans to seek another term in office, said he was not going to quit the post of Army Chief as military uniform is his ‘‘second skin’’. ‘‘At the end of the day I am a soldier and I love to wear uniform. It is part of myself, my being and in fact it’s my second skin,’’ he told Al Arabiya TV when asked about his plans to shed the uniform. Musharraf, who plans to get re-elected by the existing National and Provincial Assemblies before their dissolution next year, said general elections would be credible even without the participation of exiled former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
