Pakistani Probe Cites Top Scientists
Pakistani investigators have concluded that at least two of the country’s top nuclear scientists — including Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb — provided unauthorized technical assistance to Iran’s nuclear weapons program in the late 1980s, according to senior Pakistani officials. The scientists allegedly provided the help under a secret agreement between Pakistan and Iran that was supposed to be limited to the sharing of peaceful nuclear technology, the officials said on condition of anonymity. The findings pose a political dilemma for Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president. Islamic hard-liners have rallied to the defense of the scientists, who are regarded as national heroes, and have accused the government of pursuing the investigations to gain favor with the Bush administration. Full Story