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Pakistan parliament approves nuclear controls bill
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-15 10:04
Pakistan's parliament passed a bill Tuesday tightening controls on the export
of nuclear and biological weapons technology and missile delivery systems, part
of efforts to curb proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Pakistan has admitted that Abdul Qadeer Khan, its top nuclear scientist
revered as the father of its atomic bomb, smuggled nuclear secrets to North
Korea, Iran and Libya.
The scandal raised fears that weapons of mass destruction could fall into the
hands of militants bent on terror attacks, as well as what Washington has called
"rogue" states.
The National Assembly, parliament's lower house, adopted the bill on export
controls on nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery systems.
"This law provides a framework to deal with sensitive technologies and
proliferation," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar told
the assembly.
"Pakistan respects its international obligations as a nuclear-capable state.
This bill will further enhance Pakistan's image as a responsible nuclear state."
The Senate, or upper house, is expected to pass the bill later this week,
before it is formally signed into law by President Pervez Musharraf. Its passage
through the Senate should be a formality given a majority enjoyed by the ruling
coalition.
"By adopting this bill, Pakistan would fulfill its international obligation
and strengthen its credentials as a responsible nuclear weapon state," the bill
said.
It envisages a prison sentence of up to 14 years or a fine of up to five
million rupees ($85,000), or both, for anyone spreading nuclear technology or
hardware, although this does not apply retroactively to Khan.
Khan, who made a televised apology for his role in the proliferation scandal
in February, is closely guarded at his home in Islamabad, although authorities
deny he is under house arrest.
Musharraf pardoned the popular scientist, who said he and a few associates
acted alone. Western diplomats and analysts argue that he could not have acted
without support from the powerful military.
International criticism of Musharraf for the scandal, and his decision to
pardon Khan, was muted, perhaps in recognition of his key role in the U.S.-led
war on terror.
But Pakistan has been under quiet pressure to strengthen the safeguards
around its nuclear weapons program.
Pakistan vowed to develop the nuclear bomb after rival India exploded its
first nuclear device in 1974 and conducted five tests weeks after India carried
out its own tests in May 1998.
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