Pakistan is defending its decision to free a scientist who admitted to
selling nuclear secrets, amid criticism from the United States and
India.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says Saturday Abdul Qadeer
Khan is no longer a threat because his smuggling network has been
dismantled, and controls are in place to make sure there are no more
leaks of secret information.
U.S. officials called Khan's
release "unfortunate" and "regrettable," demanding assurances that Khan
can no longer pose any danger.
India says the international
community should consider declaring Pakistan a terrorist state. Manish
Tewari, a spokesman for the ruling Congress party says defending Khan
proves Pakistan exports terrorism, and also gives rise to concerns of
countries such as the U.S. that nuclear weapons could reach terrorists.
Khan
is considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb but admitted to
leaking nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea in 2004.
Pakistan's
High Court freed the 72-year-old Khan Friday, after five years of house
arrest. The court said Khan will still be subject to some security
measures.
Separately, India's army chief said today the
terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is, as he put it, "existing and
active." General Deepak Kapor says the number of militant camps in
Pakistan has been on the rise.
Many Pakistanis see Khan as a hero despite worldwide condemnation after his international nuclear deals were exposed.
Khan
told reporters outside his Islamabad home he will not cooperate with
foreign investigations into his nuclear proliferation network.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
