US was aware of A Q Khan's clandestine network for 3 decades: Maloof

Washington, July 18 (UNI) Former security policy analyst F Michael Maloof has alleged that the US was aware of Pakistan's nuclear scientist Dr A Q Khan's clandestine network for more than three decades.

''The father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme also assisted North Korea and Iran with their nuclear development programmes. Today, these countries are in a position to provide nuclear technology to terrorists that threaten the United States,'' The Washington Post quoted Mr Maloof as saying.

By refusing access to the disgraced father of Pakistan's nuclear programme and shielding him makes Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf an accomplice to the very terrorism he professes to oppose, he said.

Mr Maloof said during the 1990s, his office at the Defence Department often sought to get the State Department to make diplomatic complaints to Pakistan about Dr Khan's activities, but all the attempts were in vain.

''Our requests repeatedly fell on deaf ears'' he added.

He said the disgraced scientist's activities seriously violated multilateral agreements to which the United States is a signatory.

Mr Maloof also said that his office sought the Central Intelligence Agency assistance.

''The CIA has close ties to Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) which helped create Afghanistan's Taliban and still maintains ties to al Qaeda. Indeed, my office often would work with the US Customs to track down some of Khan's technology acquisitions to halt them before they were exported to Pakistan,'' the report added.

According to Mr Maloof, a former high Dutch official had recently contended that the CIA knew of Dr Khan's nuclear acquisition efforts from the early 1970s. Former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers in an interview asserted the CIA even intervened to halt any Dutch court action against the disgraced scientist.

According to Dr Lubbers, the CIA urged that Dr Khan be allowed to continue his activities so they could be monitored.

The Dutch sought to convict Dr Khan after he illegally copied drafts of a URENCO gas centrifuge plant essential for uranium enrichment.

URENCO was a joint Dutch, German and British effort in the 1970s.

The CIA request to the Dutch strongly suggests it may have known about Dr Khan's efforts to assist North Korea and Iran in their nuclear development programmes. It also suggests the CIA helped facilitate such diversions and may have been aware his Khan's liaison with al Qaeda and other terrorist elements.

In February 2004, Dr Khan was granted a Presidential pardon with the ''US support'' despite the apparent damage he has done.

Mr Maloof ascribes it to the Bush administration's recent decision to sell 18 new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan and the CIA having worked with the ISI to recruit the Mujahedeen to fight against the Serbs in the Balkans.

Dr Khan has had a lot to do with linking the technical cooperation we see between North Korea and Iran not only in nuclear but also missile development. In fact, this cooperation strongly suggests the two countries may be coordinating their activities in raising any future international hate and discontent, the report said.

The US authorities need to know more about what capabilities Dr Khan contributed to both countries. The Congress also needs to explore what the CIA knew of the scientist's efforts to provide nuclear know-how to North Korea, Iran and now the terrorists, it added.

UNI XC AK DB2151