The dirty bomb: When Benazir smuggled nuclear data into North Korea

On the test conducted by North Korea, Pakistan says it has nothing to do with it.

North Korea's testing of the Hydrogen bomb has left everyone concerned. Pakistan was quick to condemn it too, but behind North Korea's missile capabilities there is a history attached.

In the 2008 book, "Good Bye Shahzadi," written by journalist Shyam Bhatia, the late Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto is quoted on this issue. It said she had smuggled nuclear data to North Korea in 1993.

"Before leaving Islamabad she shopped for an overcoat with the 'deepest possible pockets' into which she transferred CDs containing the scientific data about uranium enrichment that the North Koreans wanted," Bhatia says in the book. "She implied with a glint in her eye that she had acted as a two-way courier, bringing North Korea's missile information on CDs back with her on the return journey."

It was said that the data was used to facilitate a missile deal in which North Korea supplied Pakistan with long range missile technology. It is also said that Pakistan's Ghauri missiles are based on North Korea's Nodong missiles. There have been nuclear-missile tradeoffs between Pakistan and North Korea. Ironically this has been facilitated by China.

North Korea over the years with China's backing has managed to master the art of making bombs. The hydrogen bombs which use fusion to unleash huge amounts of destructive energy is something that North Korea has mastered, but Pakistan has not done as yet.

On the test conducted by North Korea, Pakistan says it has nothing to do with it. Pakistan's nuclear scientist Dr Andul Qadeer Khan says that North Korea's missile technology is better than Pakistan's. In a telephonic interview with BBC Urdu he said that North Korea was self-reliant in the nuclear field because of its highly qualified group of scientists. He says that he was in North Korea twice under a missile programme and found that they had much better quality compared to Pakistan. Their scientists are highly capable, and most of them have studied in Russia. Russia and China would never leave North Korea alone, he also said.

To a question whether Pakistan had assisted North Korea, he said that it was out of the question. Their overall technology is better. We never saw their facilities or discussed the programme, he also said.

He however said Pakistan's association with North Korea for the missile programme was common knowledge. In fact, the Pakistani government itself announced that we were in contact with North Korea, he also added.

OneIndia News