Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Abdul Qadeer Khan, founder of Pakistan's nuclear program, admitted having exported nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea, an anonymous government official said this morning.

According to the government official, Khan's confession is found in an 11-page letter sent "a few days ago" to the country's investigative division dedicated to the proliferation of Pakistani nuclear weapons technology. The transfer of nuclear technology occurred from 1986-1993 and, according to the official, was motivated by "greed and personal ambition". Four other scientists made the same admissions.   

Government sources said that for some time Dr. Khan was the number one suspect in the presumed sale of Pakistani nuclear weapons technology. In a meeting between political and military heads presided over by President Musharraf, the government suspended Khan from his role as adviser to the prime minister regarding the nuclear weapons proliferation enquiry.  

Investigations began after the International Atomic Energy Agency alerted Pakistan to the role of a suspected individual involved in the secret sale of nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya. Dr. Khan has always had good relations with the army and government. Observers believe that he is being a made a scapegoat to save Pakistan itself from being accused of the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.    

Meanwhile, internal opposition accusations have multiplied. Sen. Saadia Abbasi of the Pakistani Muslim League, said that this is an insult and that "the entire nation feels humiliated by the government's treatment of a national hero."   

More radical Islamic parties and some professional bodies have protested against what they call the "American campaign" against Dr. Khan and have accused President Musharraf of having given into American pressure.   

Dr. Khan contributed to the Pakistani nuclear weapons program though the acquisition of a uranium centrifuge model, which changes the radioactive element into an explosive to be used in nuclear fission-based weapons. He was accused in the past of having stolen the centrifuge method from an Anglo-Dutch company, Ureico, for whom he had worked during the 1970s.  (SF)

• pakistan
• nuclear
• weapons
• proliferation