Musharraf says nuclear ‘leak’ likely

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has admitted the country’s nuclear scientists may have sold nuclear secrets abroad.

Several top Pakistani scientists are being investigated

Promising tough actions against the “erring scientists,” Musharraf on Friday said investigations into the suspected proliferation would be completed within weeks.

“Well, I would not like to predict, but it appears that some individuals, as I said, were involved for personal financial gain,” the Pakistani president said in a television interview on the sidelines of World Economic Forum meet at Davos.

Pakistan has been probing the nuclear-leaks ever since the UN’s nuclear watch-dog body sent in a letter, suggesting some secrets may have been given away.

Probe on

In the following weeks, several nuclear scientists, including Pakistan’s father of the atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, have been questioned.

Several scientists are still being held for questioning.

“Well, I would not like to predict, but it appears that some individuals, as I said, were involved for personal financial gain”

Pervez Musharraf
Pakistani president

But alongside admitting the grave lapse, Musharraf pointed out similar allegations had been made against European individuals and countries. “So it is not Pakistan alone.”

“There is no such evidence that any government personality or military personality was involved in this at all,” Musharraf clarified.

The Pakistani president did not deny that at least some of its nuclear technology could have been clandestinely transferred to Libya and North Korea.

“I am not denying anything because we are investigating, we have sent teams to Libya, we have sent teams to Iran and we are in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency. We are collecting all the data…,” the president said.

He vowed “stern action” against the violators.

“There is nothing that we want to hide, we want to be very up and clear about it that we will move against anybody who proliferated,” Musharraf insisted.

Source: News Agencies