From the December 17, 2004 World Media Watch
1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Dec. 17, 2004
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FL17Df05.htmlWHY THE GENERAL BEGS TO DIFFER
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - Islamabad and Washington have agreed to a plan under which Pakistan will hand over all necessary source material regarding its dealings with Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for which the US will not take action against the most sensitive people suspected of involvement in the underground network which facilitated the proliferation with Iran.
In mid-2003, a worldwide nuclear-proliferation network based in Pakistan was unearthed, headed by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program. According to a report issued by the US Central Intelligence Agency on November 23 this year, Khan not only sold advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges to Iran, he likely also sold it an actual nuclear-weapon design, along with nuclear fuel material. The network also apparently had dealings with North Korea and Libya.
The specific period in which this network spread its wings is said to be from 1987 to 2003. After the exposure, Pakistan's military government put the blame squarely on Khan, saying that he operated the network entirely independently and without the knowledge of the army, which oversaw Pakistan's nuclear development program. Khan even gave a confession on national television. However, there has been widespread skepticism, especially in the West, that the network could have operated without the knowledge of the generals.
Former chief of army staff General Aslam Beg <1>, who held the position from 1988 to 1991, is frequently mentioned as being pivotal in the network, and in aiming to build an Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan nexus to challenge US influence in the region.
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