Media outlets are reporting that Abdul Qadeer (AQ) Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, was freed from five years of house arrest by a court and immediately declared that he can now “lead a normal life.” According to the Guardian, “In an interview with the Guardian after this morning’s court ruling, the metallurgist said he had no plans to travel abroad or engage in domestic politics. Looking relaxed and well, the 72-year-old strolled in the front garden of his plush villa in Islamabad, playing with a pet dog and receiving well-wishers.” He later told the news agency, “It’s a nice feeling, the worry is gone. I can lead a normal life now, as a normal citizen. It’s a fine feeling.” Khan was placed under house arrest by former President Musharraf after confessing to passing nuclear secrets and materials to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. However, after last year’s parliamentary elections, which effectively ended the Musharraf era, Khan began speaking to the media by phone, saying he had been made a scapegoat for others involved in the scheme to sell Pakistan’s nuclear technology, [see CHUP’s coverage of his interview with The Nation last April]. [Left image from Reuters]
The NY Times commented on the decision to release AQ Khan in its coverage, reporting, “The court that lifted the travel restrictions on Dr. Khan…is a new court of limited legal jurisdiction established under the former president, Pervez Musharraf, and it appeared that the move Friday was as much a political decision by the civilian government as a legal one.” The Times cited Talat Masood, a retired Army general, who asserted the move served to pacify “the powerful conservative lobby in Pakistan,” [since AQ Khan is still widely regarded as a national hero] adding, “This has taken away pressure on the government…It has brought good will on the government because of his [Khan’s] popularity.” The Daily Times’ Rafia Zakaria told the Times, “A.Q. Khan’s release is a good symbolic move that is likely to restore faith in the civilian government’s bid to sustain its sovereignty…Something which is essential if Pakistanis are to believe that the war on terror is not just being fought at America’s behest and is something in their own interest.”
How has the international community reacted to today’s development? The BBC’s Barbara Plett in Islamabad stated that despite Friday’s ruling, Dr Khan’s proliferation activities still arouse international concern, although Pakistan regards the case as closed. And, according to The Nation, France has voiced their “unease” with the court’s decision. Foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier noted, “We know what role Mr Khan and his network played in the spread worldwide of nuclear technology for military use. We hope that this release will not lead to the pursuit of these activities which are illegal, dangerous and very worrying for international security.” However, when news agencies asked Dr. Khan to comment on the international reaction to his release, he exclaimed, “Are they happy with our God? Are they happy with our prophet? Are they happy with our leader? Never…I don’t care about rest of the world. I care about my country. [President Barack] Obama cares about America, not about Pakistan or India or Afghanistan.”
AQ Khan will still have to give 48 hours notice if he wants to leave Islamabad, but indicated today that he has no intention of traveling abroad. According to the Guardian, “He said he might travel to Karachi, where his siblings live, or to visit friends in Lahore, but he had no wish to go abroad, except for a pilgrimage to Mecca. American and UN weapons experts have repeatedly said they want to question him about his alleged proliferation activities and he would risk arrest if he went overseas,” [see related post on sanctions placed on Khan’s alleged proliferation network].
Despite these international concerns, it appears that today will be AQ Khan’s day in the sun, as supporters thronged his residence to congratulate him on his release. Khan waved to cameras, and asserted to reporters, “There are no winners, no losers. I think it has been a good judgment at least I have got some [of] my freedom.”
**Interesting note: Check out AQ Khan’s official website, which I believe was recently launched, [someone correct me if I’m wrong]. Clever timing.
CHUP! - Changing Up Pakistan 
Why on earth would they release that merchant of death? Proliferating nuclear technology should be a capital crime! It’s just disgusting how how covers his greed and shameless lust for money with nationalist rhetoric. His statements regarding the west and Obama sound like they could have come directly from the mouth of OBL himself.
[…] AQ Khan”, url: “http://teabreak.pk/pakistan-releases-aq-khan-42/14146/” }); Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan abdul qadeer, aq khan, army general, atomic bomb, civilian government, conservative lobby, […]
[…] nuke scientist free citizen Dr. Qadeer released Dr Abdul Qadeer Free Citizen Declared By Court Pakistan Releases AQ Khan Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan has been free Father of Islamic Bomb Released by […]
@HGW,
why on earth should they not arrest other
gansters from USA, Israel, UK, France, Russia, China ?
some of them even
bombed chemicals on Vietcongs, Korean, Iraqis, Afghans
Fata and Pakistani NWFP.
what a childish and immature argument !!
A.Q Khan zindabaad
Longlive A.Q Khan
Down with Batilans
@ sorry,
I forgot India, pls. put India on my list !
HGW-
It’s a touchy subject don’t you think? AQ Khan may be a pariah in the West, but to many Pakistanis, he’s a national hero. It’s a political move of course, but one sure to appease a major constituency in Pakistan.
HGW:
Regards to “Proliferating nuclear technology should be a capital crime!”
Your statement implicates most advanced industrialized nations! Western industrialized nations and companies are mostly involved in such activities–but to states or agendas deemed non-threatening (and/or profitable) to their own interests. Case in point, the very recent U.S.-India Nuclear Deal, of course, _intended_ for peaceful uses. But nuclear technology is nuclear technology, and it is taken on good faith whether it is to be harnessed for good or not.
If this is true for Western industrialized nations, one must realistically expect the same nuclear information trading out of those and to those who are considered threats to peace, for the same reasons.
This is not to justify either example. Proliferators for the purpose of nuclear weaponization should be held accountable to a common standard. Unfortunately, this has not been the case, thereby sending a mixed signal to many.
It will be interesting to know how the South Korean and Japanese media is reporting on this release of Dr AQ Khan. It is them that have had to suffer the major consequences of this nuclear proliferation network.
dang AQ looks like crap. he’s aged remarkably and he’s gotten fat. he used to be such a stud.
Reimas, what’s your point in saying that I implicate western nations as well? That’s totally irrelevant to AQ Khan. Two wrongs obviously don’t make a right, as you acknowledged. So I don’t see your point..
And there’s a big difference between providing that technology to Iran and North Korea, and providing it to responsible members of the international community. AQ Khan is a sleazy merchant, he’s not a nation.
@HGW
Absolute rubbish and nonsense on Iran,
what about Iraq’s WMD ? that was American’s
Neocons like Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and
other nazis who pushed Bush to comit the
Genocide of 1.5 Iraqian civilians. The biggest evil
neclaear proliferators are US, UK, Israel, France,
they must be charged by I.A.E.A for such crimes against
humanity. Indian nuclaear assets are now controlled
by Bajrangdal, Shiv senna, BJP’s terrorists infiltrated in
the Indian Army like Col. Prohit. There are 20 leakages
inside, the entire network of Indian nuclear
installations.
@ Reimas,
very solid, logical, undeniable, !! please continue
you interest me !!
@ Fahd,
look into the nearest mirror, give us your opinion
by showing us the outcome of
” mirror mirror how do I look ” ?
Ofcourse all the Bas****ds made him suffer a lot,
He is hero of 1.5 billions of muslims, despite
disenchantement of all Neocons/IndoIsraeli zionists,
unhappy ars…..les.
Longlive A.Q Khan
@HGW, Reimas, and Rafay-
There are 2 important distinctions here: First, civilian VS military nuclear technology. Countries have shared nuclear information with other countries, but that has always been for the development of civilian nuclear energy programs (with one exception, but that’s for another conversation). AQ Khan is the greatest proliferant of military nuclear technology in history. We know of at least 4 countries that he sold secrets to, but the world still doesn’t have the full story- that could come back to bite us in the end, so I’m all in favor of giving the guy greater freedom in exchange for information about his activities.
The second distinction is what HGW touched on in his last post- a state spreading nuclear know-how VS an individual. AQ Khan allegedly did not act on behalf of any state, he did this all on his own for his own personal betterment, which I think is horrific and disgusting since he was sharing information that could kill millions of people. What a horrible violation of the Pakistani government and people’s trust!
Kalsoom is spot on as usual, I think. While in the West we think of him just as a “merchant of death,” in Pakistan he is the father of the nuclear bomb, and since he’s being tried in a Pakistani court the outcome will be very different than if he was being tried in the International Court of Justice. What I don’t understand is the timing of this- why now? Is the Pakistani government trying to gain popularity by releasing him, at the cost of pissing off Western governments???
@ Heather,
absolutely misguiding and incorrect, dishonest
and biased distinctions that you have fabricated,
I must remind you Pakistan is the last among
nuclear, your theory of civilian VS Military technology
is ridiculous today, only to base and provide justification
of western acquisition of nuclear tech for warefare or
” protection” and menacing purposes. USA accquired
Nuc.Tech from post II WW German Scientists, even before
during the hay days of third Reich, similar France UK
(crusaders), USSR and China acceded to Nuc.Tech also with
a lot of non-Catholic compromises.
It is absolutely ludicrous to name A.Q Khan, what you
called him, but the greates proliferators are as I said
in my earlier comment,
– USA who used Nukes two times already on Japan,
– UK and France which are the father founder
of Israeli nuclear capacities.
American trained 1700 Indian technicians already 5 years
before its Nuclear Bomb blast in 1974.
Merchants of death, yesterday, today and tomorrow will
always be the same evil Group
” THE CONSORTIUM OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM ”
USA, ISRAEL, INDIA, UK AND THEIR ACOLYTES.
They all should be tried in Intertnational court for crimes
against humanity they have ” ALREADY” committed during
the last 60 years.
I reiterate via my last comment of 7th fev @ 6.05 am.
Heather, you sound very much like a Catholic anti-Islam
fake nun, infiltrated inside many ” Human Rights NGOs “.
Rafay spouts his terrorist propaganda, as usual. He needs to come out of his cave in Tora Bora and pick up a newspaper. And then at least TRY to learn how to read and write in English.
I URGE EVERYONE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO ON AQ KHAN:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5127462544428235727
Abdul Qadeer Khan, Nuclear Weapons Proliferator
Synopsis:
Documentary regarding Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, widely regarded as the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear program. In January 2004, Khan confessed to having been involved in a clandestine international network of nuclear weapons technology proliferation from Pakistan to Libya, Iran and North Korea. On February 5, 2004, the President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, announced that he had pardoned Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who is widely seen as a national hero
Does anyone care that these morons just chopped the head off this Polish engineer? How disgusting. I ask you, is this not a stain on religion? Any religion?
Rafay-
I won’t address your personal comments, since they don’t really have a place on Kalsoom’s blog. If you want to keep ranting about my character or unidentified religious beliefs, I invite you to email me at heather@idon’tgiveahoot.com. But do you really think a nun would get this giddy about nuclear weapons?
In regards to your marginally substantive comments: let me point out another important differentiation, horizontal VS vertical proliferaiton. If you are talking about vertical proliferation within one country, then your comments actually have some merit, well done, gold star to you. Yes, the US and USSR built more nuclear weapons than anybody else. However, nuclear proliferation usually refers to horizontal proliferation between multiple countries. In that context, I stand by my statement that AQ Khan is the greatest nuclear weapons proliferant in history. Only one country in history has spread nuclear weapons information to another country, and that was France. So ranting about the history of the US weapons program really doesn’t contribute to your argument. Please clarify…
Reimas’ comments earlier suggested that western countries are just as guilty of proliferating nuclear technology. However, that is purely civilian nuclear technology. It is a HUGE leap from civilian to military capabilities, which is why only 8 countries in the world have ever done it (I don’t include Iran and North Korea in that count). Rafay, I encourage you to do 5 minutes of research on nuclear technology before posting your next comment and check out the uranium enrichment process (look for % enrichment). There are at least 40 countries with civilian nuclear capabilities, but you don’t see them all trying to develop weapons.
But forget all these posts for a few minutes and just think about AQ Khan’s network. Regardless of “guilt” or who else has spread nuclear information, wouldn’t it be beneficial to everyone regardless of race, religion, or nationality to know what he told and who he told it to?
Could someone explain how Pakistanis, citizens of a then, as well as now, developing world power seeking integration and recognition in the international political system, glorify the actions of someone that removed highly classified information and subsequently participated in a clandestine operation which attempted to such provide information with hostile world regimes? While I appreciate the context of India-Pakistan relations at the time, specifically the recent nuclear advances of India, do concerns not arise from those actions that may impact, and likely did, Pakistan’s acceptance into the international political and economic system? Do those actions contribute to apprehensions regarding granting access to members of developing nations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, or any geographical area for that matter, to positions at agencies such as URENCO or others that include ready availability of extremely classified information?
@ Heather,
contradicting you is painful for you I can see that,
your complain is exaggerated, why don’t you stop
propogating against Pakistan ? your reply is irrelevant
and like other’s not replying to my challenges.
I have noted your e-mail. thanks
@HGW,
you are only capable of bringing back USA’s stooge
Mushy’s drama of forcing A.Q Khan to make that
TV appearance to Please US dogs. What a band of
fraud and fake jokers. The whole world is laughing over
the ” fixed ” TV holy confessions of A .Q Khan who
made a ” donkey out of every American neocon zigotto.
@ Yawar,
take care of your head while is still on your
shoulders, mate ! keep showing your crap
of movies to Karachi’s Kuarantas !!
@ Hoo knows,
pricisely, what is your problem ?
@Heather,
a propos : Nuclear proliferation,
WHY
the procedure of heavey water or uranium enrichment
process, ” purely civilian to Military capabilities ” should
only be reserved for Neocons, Pakistan must have
its own club of nuclear powers in order to assure the
balance in the world’s power. The world is and will always
be a hell without muslims share of power. Put this thing
in your mind once and for all Heather.
@Heather,
its high time that I.A.E.A should publish detailed
reports on recent free collision between French and British
nuclear submarines in plain seas next to coutry’s populated
shores, and sanction the two countries for this grave
irresponsible accidents, that two countries be criticised
penalised, warned, and kept under severe surveillances,
by world authorities, we did not hear a word, neither on this
blog nor else where, what happend ? and how grave were
the consequent pollution and danger to all lives, instead of
lies and covering up and pin pointing ” other’ s” Koreans,
Pakistanis ” stupid conspiracy theories ” invented by
State department and promoted by so called ” fake pacifist
indicators” howling and shouting denuciations and
false hoaxes and accusitions, and special rights to
comit errors reserved for only Genociders.