More than 360 organizations are seeking nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) technology for such programs in Asia and the Middle East says a leaked document from British intelligence agency MI5. According to a report published yesterday by The Guardian newspaper, the MI5 document titled âCompanies and Organizations of Proliferation Concernâ, lists private companies, university departments and government organizations in eight countries who have procured goods or technology for use in weapons programs; and stresses the determination of these countries to develop ânuclear arsenals and other weapons of mass destruction.â The revelation comes only days after a Norwegian Committee awarded this yearâs Nobel Peace Prize to the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Egyptian-born head Mohammed El-Baradei, a seasoned lawyer and diplomat. The disclosure will make embarrassing reading for countries such as Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Israel, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Egypt. The Pakistan High Commission here is singled out as the only diplomatic institution in the list of organizations that has helped procure nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction technology for their countries. The 17-page document, in fact, identifies 95 Pakistani organizations and government bodies who have assisted the countryâs nuclear program. The Pakistani link, said The Guardian, was apparently established after MI5 carried out a surveillance operation on the High Commission in Lowndes Square in Knightsbridge over a period of the last two years. The Pakistani High Commission in London has rejected any such involvement as ârubbishâ and an affront to Pakistan.
The document was compiled in a bid to prevent British companies inadvertently exporting sensitive goods or expertise to organizations that might be involved in WMD programs overseas.