Nuclear proliferation: the wrath of Khan?

"Pakistan has become the world's nuclear Wal-Mart," commented Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Peter Brookes in a February 9 New York Post op-ed column. "The father of the Pakistani nuclear bomb, jet-setter scientist A.Q. Khan, turns out to be the godfather of global nuclear proliferation."

In exchange for a pardon from Pakistani ruler Pervez Musharraf, Khan recently confessed on Pakistani television to sharing nuclear technology with North Korea, Iran and Libya. "So the burning question is 'secondary proliferation,'" continues Brookes. "What might Iran and North Korea do with their newfound capabilities and knowledge, besides go nuclear themselves? Will an Iranian A.Q. Khan share nuclear technology with Syria? Will North Korea give atomic tips to Burma's junta, which already plans a nuclear research reactor?"

In a February 9 report from Pakistan, Britain's New Statesman points out that "Khan commands huge support not just from the people but from the military. Putting him on trial will spill the beans [about official support for Khan's actions] and upset the army.... If Khan is prosecuted and imprisoned, the military will certainly take revenge.... Expect a rap on the knuckles and then a rich retirement in the wilderness for Abdul Qadeer Khan."

It's worth noting that despite the alleged key role played by Pakistan's intelligence service in supporting al-Qaeda, the Musharraf regime has received lavish support from Washington as a key ally in the "war on terror."