Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Pakistani court declares nuclear scientist free
Sat Feb 7, 2009 12:28am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Augustine Anthony
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani court declared disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan free on Friday, ending five years of house arrest for the man at the center of the world's most serious proliferation scandal.
Khan, revered by many Pakistanis as the father of the country's atomic bomb, confessed to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya in 2004, but was immediately pardoned by the government, although his movements were restricted to effective house arrest.
"It's a matter of joy. The judgment, by the grace of Allah, is good," Khan told reporters outside his Islamabad house soon after news of the High Court ruling broke.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was "very much concerned" about Khan's release. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama wanted assurances from Pakistan that the scientist would not be involved in nuclear proliferation.
State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said the United States believed Khan "remains a serious proliferation risk."
"The proliferation support that Khan and his associates provided to Iran and North Korea has had a harmful impact on international security and will for years to come," Duguid said.
The Pakistani government declined to comment on the court decision but said as a responsible nuclear-armed state, it had taken all necessary measures to promote the goal of non-proliferation.
"The so-called A. Q. Khan affair is a closed chapter," the Foreign Ministry said.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, when asked what sort of message Khan's release would send to the new U.S. administration given its concerns about proliferation, told Reuters at a security conference in Munich:
"A.Q. Khan is history as far as we are concerned. The government of Pakistan has extracted the information that is required. We have successfully broken the network that he had set up and today he has no say and has no access to any of these sensitive areas of Pakistan."
"NO TRAVEL PLANS EXCEPT MECCA"
Khan, 72, who has been treated for prostate cancer, said he had finished his nuclear work and wanted to devote his time to education. He said he had no plan to travel abroad apart from Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, for a pilgrimage.
Qureshi said it would be a "political" decision whether Khan would be allowed to travel, but added: "He's an old man and a sick man and I wonder if he can travel than much. I am not aware of what his plans are. But I wonder if he would want to leave the country, where would he want to go?"
Khan himself said he did not care what foreign governments thought. "I am obliged to answer only to my government not to any foreigners," he told reporters. "I will always be proud about what I did for Pakistan."
Khan's detention had been relaxed over the past year; he was allowed to meet friends and traveled to Karachi at least once under tight security. He also gave media interviews after a new government came to power in March but was barred from speaking to reporters by a July court ruling. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Senators reach deal on stimulus bill
Also on Reuters
"Sham glam" sweeps China as fakes get trendy
Video
Video: And Finally...Justice on Wheels
Slideshow
Slideshow: Hasty Pudding's Woman of the Year
More International News
North Korea open to disarmament progress: U.S. expert
Kyrgyzstan says U.S. air base decision is final
| Video
Russia sends conciliatory message to Obama
| Video
Mexico drug gangs threaten cops on radio, kill them
Far-right rise crimps Netanyahu before Israel vote
| Video
More International News...
Related News
Militants kill 7 police in Pakistan attack
12:28am EST
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Savings lost to Madoff, elderly forced back to work
Australia drops water bombs on raging bush fires
Senators reach deal on stimulus bill
Is Obama creating economic "team of rivals"?
UPDATE 1-Dow Jones costs News Corp $2.8 bln in writedown
Israel to Obama: hold Iran's feet to fire, or else | Video
Fed's Yellen sees dynamics similar to Depression
Obama's promised health care overhaul delayed
In times of crisis, Parisians take to scavenging
Bank of America CEO close to the edge
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Exotic animals: drug dealers' prey
Phelps responds to marijuana photo
Senate struggle over stimulus
Oval Office attire
Drillers find dinosaur foot bone
Shoe tossed at Israeli ambassador
Worst month for jobs in 34 years
Tapes reveal plane crash drama
Israel allows vital plasma into Gaza
Rare Bugatti car up for auction
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
The Great Debate
World Affairs:
America's long Afghan war
Bernd Debusmann
Twenty years ago, the last Soviet soldier left Afghanistan after a disastrous war that lasted over nine years. Barring a miracle, the U.S. will stay considerably longer in Afghanistan. Commentary
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.