Pakistan: Nuke Proliferation Case "Closed"

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry insisted its nuclear proliferation case was closed after the disgraced architect of its atomic program claimed the army under President Pervez Musharraf helped spread the technology.

Also Saturday, Khalid Kidwai, the head of the division that handles Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, denied the army or Musharraf were aware of the nuclear technology transfer to North Korea, according to Pakistani news channels with journalists present at the briefing.

Abdul Qadeer Khan told The Associated Press that Pakistan's army supervised a 2000 shipment of used P-1 centrifuges to North Korea. It must have been sent with the approval of Musharraf, the then-army chief who took power in a 1999 coup, Khan alleged.

"It was a North Korean plane, and the army had complete knowledge about it and the equipment," Khan said Friday of the shipment. "It must have gone with his (Musharraf's) consent."

The comments caused a stir in Pakistani media, and newspapers played the story prominently on their front pages Saturday. Mohammed Sadiq, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, offered only limited comment, however.

"The nuclear proliferation issue is a closed case," Sadiq said, reiterating a longtime Pakistani stance. "We do not think that a debate is required on it."

Musharraf's spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, on Friday rejected Khan's claims. "I can say with full confidence that it is all lies and false statements."

Still, Khan's allegations would match expert assessments that running such a network would have been difficult without some involvement from Pakistan's security apparatus.

Khan has been agitating for an end to his virtual house arrest and backed off his 2004 confession that he was solely responsible for spreading nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

In a speech Friday, Musharraf made no mention of Khan's allegations, but said he would not quit the presidency - as political opponents have been demanding.

Khan is regarded as a hero by many in Pakistan for his key role in giving it the Islamic world's first nuclear bomb in 1998, seen as a deterrent against historic archrival India.

After his 2004 confession and a televised statement of contrition, Khan was pardoned by Musharraf but has effectively been kept under house arrest in Islamabad.

Since a new civilian government took power after February elections, eclipsing Musharraf, the retired scientist has increasingly spoken out in the media. However, previously he had not implicated anyone or explicitly said the army was aware of nuclear shipments.

Khan said he previously took sole responsibility for the nuclear proliferation because he had been persuaded that it was in the national interest. Khan said that in return he had been promised complete freedom, but "those promises were not honored."