Gilani rules out IAEA access to A.Q. Khan

Islamabad, Jan.17 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that there is no question of giving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to the disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Gilani said that the network of Khan had been demolished, and there was no need of any further information in the matter.

"There is no point of providing any access by the UN nuclear watchdog to Dr. Khan as "his network is broken and there is no need for any other information," The News quoted Gilani, as saying.

A.Q. Khan has been charged with proliferation of nuclear know-how to several countries.

Gilani also said that there is no pressure on Pakistan from the United States to take back its nuclear programme.

"The United States has stopped making demands from Pakistan about freezing or rolling back Pakistan's nuclear programme," he said.

Disclosing Pakistan's future nuclear plans, he said: "Pakistan is seeking additional nuclear power plants from China and would like exemption from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the IAEA for supply of nuclear technology for peaceful uses of nuclear energy."

Talking about the Indo-US nuclear deal, Gilani said that Pakistan expected similar treatment as far as the US-India nuclear deal was concerned.

He said that Pakistan did not object to the Indo- US nuclear deal's approval by the NSG in September 2008 because it wanted a similar treatment from the NSG for its projects.

Commenting on the US President-elect Barack Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, he said: "It would intensify fighting in the war-torn country."

Gilani however, refused to accept the fact that there is strong presence of al-Qaeda in the the troubled tribal areas of Pakistan.

"I also at times feel that there is no al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas. These are all Taliban and you can call them by any other name," he said. (ANI)