Experts Doubt That Pakistani Nuclear Scientist Acted Alone - 2004-02-05

In his shocking televised confessions on Wednesday, Abdul Qadeer Khan insisted that he sold nuclear technology to other countries without the permission of others. However, Western experts doubt the validity of this claim. They argue that even a figure of Khan's stature could not have sold such sensitive technology without the approval of higher authorities. Raul Mark Gerstein, a former U.S. intelligence officer and current researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, states: 'At the very least, the leadership of the Pakistani army must have endorsed this transfer. In response to the first question of whether the Pakistani army was aware of and supported this issue, the answer is affirmative. Otherwise, one would have to say that the army and the intelligence apparatus of Pakistan are experiencing the same chaos that the rest of Pakistani society is facing. And this is not the case for such an issue.' Pakistanis view their nuclear program as a point of national pride, and Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the father of this program, is seen as a national hero in their eyes. Many Pakistanis feel that President Musharraf's actions against Khan are a capitulation to U.S. pressures. However, Trista Schaffer, a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, believes: 'Musharraf, who is himself a general and the chief of the army staff, is in a very difficult position. He is in no way willing to take action against Khan, but he is aware that the problem he currently has with the United States is akin to having used a nuclear weapon. All three countries that received this technology are on the list of countries that the United States is very concerned about in terms of their access to weapons of mass destruction.'