Dr Khan's bizarre admission on national TV that he headed a massive international smuggling operation supplying Libya, Iran and North Korea with assorted nuclear technology was not just an unprecedented political and public relation disaster for Pakistan. It also handed Washington a cudgel with which to thrash Pakistan over nuclear issue. Washington's long standing notion that Muslim countries are too irresponsible, corrupt and unstable to be allowed nuclear weapons has now been vindicated by Kahuta disaster. It may now be a matter of time that the US would demand at least joint control over Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

Nevertheless it was an embarrassment both at home and abroad. President Musharraf busy in placating both domestic anxiety and external scrutiny did a deft balancing while repeating his resolves to preserve the sanctity and security of Pakistan's nuclear assets. His voice was visibly defensive. But the Western media with its strident views remained blatantly hostile -- dressing Pakistan down and even suggesting de-nuking of the country. In the meantime the canards of all sorts spread like wild fire. Officially however the United States seems circumspect although she never liked Pakistan's nuke capability.

However, a different picture is likely to emerge once Pakistan's military and strategic usefulness in Afghanistan is over and normalcy is restored on anti-terror war front. That will be a crucial juncture when UN Security Council may, at the behest of the United States, icily ask Pakistan to open up its uranium enrichment laboratory for inspection. Pakistan will have nothing to protest because the charge of the proliferation against the country stands proven with the confession and pardon drama staged earlier. Obviously the trauma befalling the nation persists.

Even if the timing of the AQ Khan episode is an incredible coincidence, many believe that is a part of brilliantly orchestrated campaign to eliminate Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Even earlier Pakistan's nuclear programme never enjoyed the sort of immunity from criticism that was afforded, for example, to Israel and to an extent which subsequently became recognised nuclear power with the west's subtle patronisation. Nor was there any hullabaloo about South Africa's nuclear capabilities which was revealed and then hastily dismantled as a matter of principles when the nation moved out of apartheid although the dismantling was sold to the world as an anti-proliferation measure. On the contrary the application of Pressler Amendment, occasional threats of sanction and frequent scrutiny of the US dogged the progress of Pakistan's nuclear programme.

Although Dr AQ Khan and some other scientists of KRL have been fully implicated in the transfer of nuclear expertise to North Korea, Libya and Iran as a result of debriefing conducted by Pakistan military such sleazes are inherent in the international nuclear regime. Like important part of Delhi's nuclear arms development was based on US technology stolen by Israel and then sold to India, Pakistan also extensively shopped for nuclear materials through shady middlemen and secretive dealers. The dubious deal involving third world countries could have been struck along the way. Pakistan's path to success has been long, arduous and painful. The same way each nuclear-capable nation has its own history of reaching the capability, each part of which might not have been savoury.

There are sources to supply nuclear material to Iran, for example, from many western countries including the US which ridiculously raise their eyebrows at the scale of proliferation by Pakistan. In spite of an attempt to cloak the proliferation issue with a measure of legality it was always political consideration and a matter of expediency that guided western policy whether or not to help an aspirant in obtaining nuclear technology. Researchers opine that allegation against Pakistan for supplying URENCO centrifuge design information to Iran pales into insignificance when compared with the official documents detailing the supply of nuclear technology to oil rich ally Iran by the US, Germany, France and other European countries -- of course before the Islamic revolution of 1979. It was a matter of political imperative and was not certainly done as charity for Iran. What is happening now with regard to centrifuge scandal is viewed by the analysts as a ploy by Washington to presserise General Musharraf to shut down perhaps half of his nuclear weapon project.

The reluctance of the West to complete the negotiated Bushehr nuclear plant in a changed politico-strategic milieu, it may be mentioned, forced Iran to look towards Russia to complete its first nuclear power plant. On July 28, 1998 President Clinton announced that the US had imposed economic sanction against seven firms under investigation by the Russian government for proliferating WMD to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Such information abounds about proliferation even today.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.