Pakistan's 'Father of the Islamic bomb' goes public on deals with China, Iran, N. Korea
Pakistan's 'father of the Islamic bomb', nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, has disclosed new details of the exchange of nuclear secrets and materials between China, Iran, Pakistan and North Korea.
A.Q. Khan
Khan, who remains under house arrest in Pakistan, managed to send a letter to a British journalist at the Sunday Times who published its claims on Pakistan’s nuclear deals that have led to the ongoing proliferation crisis.
''We put up a centrifuge plant at Hanzhong (250km southwest of Xian),” Khan wrote. “The Chinese gave us drawings of the nuclear weapon, gave us 50kg of enriched uranium, gave us 10 tons of UF6 (natural) and 5 tons of UF6 (3%).''
On Iran, Khan wrote: ''Probably with the blessings of BB [Benazir Bhutto]...General Imtiaz [Benazir’s defense adviser, now dead] asked me to give a set of drawings and some components to the Iranians. The names and addresses of suppliers were also given to the Iranians.''
As for North Korea, he added: ''[A now-retired general] took $3 million through me from the N. Koreans and asked me to give some drawings and machines.''
Simon Henderson's Sunday Times article describes how the letter instructed his daughter to provide it to Henderson, with whom he had casual journalist contact in the past. The article attempts to refute widespread allegations that Khan trafficked in nuclear secrets for personal gain, citing evidence of his impoverished state in 2007.
