USINPAC asks US Congress to probe A Q Khan claims on proliferation

Washington, Oct.12 (ANI): The U.S.-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has expressed strong concern over claims made by disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist, A Q Khan, particularly about the illegal transfer of weapons technology to Iran.

Responding to Khan's statements, USINPAC Chairman, Sanjay Puri, said "It is troubling to see that the man Time Magazine called the world's most dangerous nuclear trafficker is busy gloating on TV about his nuclear proliferation exploits. He has provided sensitive technology to some of America's biggest foreign policy concerns yet the United States does not have access to him. The man, dubbed as the Merchant of Menace, has a lot of information that we as Americans should have the right to know, especially since one of our allies is the country protecting him - a country which Mr. Khan alludes to being complicit and supportive of his nuclear supermarket for rogue nations. "

In a recent television interview, Khan had stated that assisting Iran was a planned operation to create "a strong bloc in the region to counter international pressure", and also to "neutralize" Israel's power.

Puri further said " I strongly urge President Obama to pressure our ally Pakistan to allow AQ Khan to be brought in front of a global body such as the IAEA so that the international community can get to the bottom of what appears to be a nexus of proliferation with countries such as Iran, North Korea and possibly others. "

Manish Thakur, USINPAC's National Security Coordinator, said "These statements are yet more disturbing revelations by one of the world's most prolific proliferators. In addition to the damage he has clearly done in Iran, we now have more clues from him about the critical nuclear expertise he illegally provided to North Korea. We have over 30,000 American troops in South Korea who are in greatly increased danger due to his activities. Most alarming is the possibility that he sold nuclear technology to terrorist groups who want to directly attack the United States itself. We urgently need to question this man, but the United States has deliberately been prevented from talking to him directly by our ally, Pakistan. That this ally receives billions of dollars in aid from us is stunning. Congress needs to get to the bottom of this fast."

The U.S.-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) is the political voice of 2.7 million Indian-Americans. USINPAC provides bipartisan support to candidates for federal, state and local office who support the issues that are important to the Indian-American community. (ANI)