Pakistan on Wednesday condemned ex-premier Benazir Bhutto for saying she would let the UN question Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the disgraced “father” of Pakistan’s nuclear programme.Bhutto reportedly said on Tuesday that if she returned to office she would give the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to Khan — a contentious remark stirring controversy in the run-up to the elections.
Foreign Office spokeswoman Taslim Aslam said on Wednesday Pakistan’s position is that it had fully investigated the matter and, “in case there is new information ...we will conduct investigations and provide information to the IAEA”.
Other countries have failed to match PakistanÂ’s efforts to prevent proliferation, for instance by clamping down on Western companies involved in smuggling, she added.
Asked after a speech in Washington on Tuesday whether she would let Western officials interview Khan, Bhutto reportedly responded: “We do believe that the IAEA... would have the right to question AQ Khan.” She also reportedly said a parliamentary committee should investigate the matter. “Many Pakistanis are cynical about whether AQ Khan could have done this without any official sanction,” she added.
Bhutto’s party, PPP, scrambled to play down her remarks on Wednesday, saying they were “not very different from what the current government says or any other responsible government in Pakistan would say”.