Pakistan today admitted that one of its defence aircraft flew to North Korea in 2002, but said it only picked up a load of shoulder-fired SA-16 missiles and did not deliver nuclear equipment. Asked about reports of US satellites tracking a C-130 cargo plane of the Pakistan Air Force landing at Pyongyang airport in July, 2002, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said the plane carried SA-16 missiles not nuclear technology and materials. ‘‘There was no nuclear technology on board . Absolutely none,’’ he said here. Referring to speculation that the plane delivered nuclear technology to N Korea in exchange for missiles, Khan said: ‘‘The C-130 aircraft picked up only SA-16 missiles. Speculation about it should come to an end, because there was no technology and equipment on board. Nothing of that sort.’’ Reports of the PAF plane landing at Pyongyang assumed significance as Islamabad denied involvement of previous governments and the military establishment in proliferation of nuclear technology and blamed it all on the country’s top nuclear scientist, Dr A.Q. Khan, and his associates. —(PTI)
