Pakistan's Musharraf Pardons Rogue Scientist

[ze_dscherman]

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's president Thursday pardoned a scientist who admitted leaking nuclear arms secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea and said he would not allow international supervision of Pakistan's atomic program.
"There is a written mercy appeal from his side and there is a written pardon from my side," Pervez Musharraf told a news briefing, referring to top scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who made a televised confession to nuclear proliferation Wednesday.

Musharraf also said Pakistan would not hand over documents to U.N. nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"This is a sovereign country. No document will be given. No independent investigation will take place here."

More: http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4292764

[htuttle]

1. Just like that...

...All neat and tidy like.

[maggrwaggr]

2. so by the standards we used for Iraq and Saddam

shouldn't we invade Pakistan and kill this guy?

He's proven to be about a gazillion times more dangerous than anybody in Iraq.

[yellowcanine]

3. And this guy is our "ally" against terra? I am confused.

Let me see if I have this straight. We attacked Iraq because Saddam suposedly had WMDs, including "a reconstituted nuclear program". One year later we find there are no WMDs, no nuclear programs, no connections to terrorists.

Now here we have our "ally" Pakistan. We know they have nuclear weapons - not programs - not program activities. We know they have connections to al quaeda - the fuckers have been hanging out there when they weren't in Afghanistan. On top of that Pakistan has been giving nuclear technology to other states that the U.S. has identified as rogue states supporting terrorism and that were part of the Bush "Axis of Evil".

WTF is going on?

[varun]

4. Bush admin is embarrassed and is trying to cover

...up the complicity of Pakistani government in this nuclear proliferation. Yesterday, Armitage said that he had full faith in Musharraf...

Hmm...Musharraf was a part of the Pakistani army (and also ISI) beofre he took over the leadership with a coup. The army has been involved in the nuke proliferation (do you think individual scientists in Pakistan have access to C-130s for transporting missiles from N. Korea?).

...and Musharraf knew nothing about these deals...

I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale... :eyes:

[seasat]

5. Y'all know that if we'd kept our focus on Afganistan,

We'd have a larger troop presence there right next to Pakistan. We might have brought peace sooner to that region and would be able to pressure Pakistan into reforms. Instead, Shrub went on a misadventure in Iraq, that promises to tie us up for a decade. Pakistan gets to get off scott free with giving the world's most dangerous weapons of war to terrorist nations.

[DevilsAdvocate2]

6. Musharraf is right

They are a sovereign country and we have no place in telling them what they can or can't do. At least, that's what I was told in another forum here when I mentioned that the U.N. should do something about the terrible human rights situation in North Korea. I suppose the same standard should apply to Pakistan.

[varun]

8. sure...but then why sign on

..the NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty)?

NPT has become meaningless after this incident.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. Hmmmm. Funny, Iraq WAS a sovereign country too, a UN

member in good standing, paid up on their dues and everything the US has not been recently.

And, I think we told them what to do.

[louis-t]

7. I never have trusted Musharraf..

beware of that guy.

[tom_paine]

9. Yes, he is far too much like our own Emperor Bunnypants* too be trusted

[fujiyama]

11. The only difference...

is that Mushy has a spiffy lookin' general's outfit that actually fits!

[loudnclear]

12. This makes the US guilty of aiding terrorists who aided terrorists.

Just think about it. Musharaff is our buddy but he obviously was behind giving these secrets to the "axis of evil"...we know it, we probably found this out long ago that's why we needed to divert attention to Iraq. If Musharaff wasn't in on the deal, he clearly has pardonded the person who is guilty so this makes Musharaff guilty of giving aid and comfort and support to terrorists. I mean if giving nuclear secrets to N. Korea, Iran, Lybia doesn't make you a party to helping terrorists (by our own definition) than what does? Oh, I know, being born an Arab and being a Muslim...that's what it means to be a terrorist (sarcasm).

[pinto]

13. Pakistan says "WMD are OK", US State Department agrees.

[pacifictiger]

14. The US

was the one to let the genie out of the bottle 60 years ago. I can certainly understand Mushariff for wanting to appease a domestic audience that reveres someone they perceive to be a national hero. Not to condone Pakistan but that technology happened to be passed on while the US was refusing to join an attempt at global ban on nuclear proliferation, so who is the bigger hypocrite?

[daleo]

15. For some reason this headline makes me think of Bill Murray

"Come over here, you rogue scientist you." (musses his hair, with an impish grin). "Ok, you're pardoned. Now get out of here."