Pak spread nuke weapon technology across world for cash and clout, Khan documents reveal

Islamabad, Sept 25 (ANI): Two documents written by A.Q. Khan, who headed Pakistan's nuclear program for some 25 years, has revealed that Islamabad spread nuclear weapon technology across the globe in exchange for cash, political influence and help for its own atomic bomb program.

Among those on the other side of the deals, reportedly include China, Iran, North Korea and Libya.

The charges are contained in two documents written by A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani nuclear arms trafficker long thought to be the mastermind behind an elaborate global supply and procurement network.

Fox News also recovered some exclusive photographs, which show Khan and his wife in a variety of intimate settings, including under house arrest.

The revelation has led many counter-proliferation experts to ponder about the extent of official Pakistan government involvement with Khan, and whether Khan was a master criminal operating outside the system or was just a part of the system.

The documents suggest that at one time, Khan feared his own government might kill him.

"Darling," he wrote to his wife in December 2003, adding:"If the government plays any mischief with me take a tough stand. They might try to get rid of me to cover up all the things (dirty) they got done by me in connection with Iran, Libya and N. Korea."

A scientist and strong-willed bureaucrat known as "the father of the Islamic bomb," Khan was a popular figure in Pakistan.

When the US started gathering evidence of smuggled nuclear shipments to Libya, Pakistan began tightening the noose around Khan in 2003.

In early 2004, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) brought Khan in for questioning, and reports suggest that Khan's written confession is a result of those sessions.

In February 2004, Khan appeared on Pakistan television and offered a brief confession. The next day, former President Pervez Musharraf pardoned, and sentenced him to house arrest. In recent years, the terms of Khan's house arrest have been modified, but he remains under tight government control. (ANI)