Pakistan's President has vowed never to allow the UN nuclear inspections agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, into the country despite admitting that the man behind its nuclear weapons programme sold nuclear know-how and equipment to three of President Bush's so-called axis of evil states - Libya, Iran and North Korea. Rahul Bedi, in New Delhi, and Conor O'Clery, in New York report
President Pervez Musharaff yesterday pardoned the scientist, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the man credited with giving Pakistan a nuclear capability to mirror that of India's.
And in a robust note of defiance, the military dictator rejected any suggestion of independent monitoring of Pakistan's nuclear programme. "This is a sovereign country. No document will be given. No independent investigation will take place here."
Foreign Minister Mr Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri last night said while Pakistan would help the UN investigate the leaking of nuclear secrets, it would not allow the body investigate its own nuclear programme.
Pakistan is a key ally of the US in its war against terror, especially so during the overthrow of the al-Qaeda-supported Taliban regime of Afghanistan in 2001. Since then, the US has been a strong supporter of the IAEA's efforts to have Iran accept inspections of its nuclear plants but has remained silent as the scandal of Dr Khan unfolded in Pakistan. Yesterday, the head of the CIA, Mr George Tenet, sought to claim some credit for unmasking Dr Khan.
The head of the IAEA, Dr Mohammad ElBaradei, said Dr Khan could not have acted alone. However, President Musharaff insisted that no one else knew what Dr Khan had been doing.