WASHINGTON, Sept 1: Discredited Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan “remains a serious proliferation risk,” a US official said on Tuesday after the scientist gained freedom of movement.
In Islamabad, Mr Khan said the Pakistani authorities had lifted restrictions on his movements.
“We believe he remains a serious proliferation risk,” a State Department official told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked to comment on the news. “We have made clear to the Pakistani government our concerns about A. Q. Khan.”
In February, a court declared Mr Khan a free man, five years after the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb was effectively put under house arrest for operating a clandestine proliferation network.
Last Friday, the 72-year-old Khan complained to a high court that his movements were still being restricted by the government’s security arrangements on his behalf.
The court ordered the government to respond to Mr Khan’s claim on September 4.
Local media quoted Khan as saying that the restrictions had been withdrawn ahead of Friday’s hearing.
“The reports that you have read in newspapers are correct,” Mr Khan told AFP, adding that he could not elaborate because the court had barred him from giving interviews to foreign media. He was, however, free to speak to local press.
David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector and nuclear specialist, told AFP that “it is a mistake” to remove restrictions on a man who cannot be “trusted.” —AFP
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