Nuclear underworld

Mr Mohammad ElBaradei was not much wrong when he said that Dr A.Q. Khan's confession was merely "the tip of an iceberg." Since that sensational disclosure in Islamabad rocked the international media earlier this month, developments the world over have vindicated the contention of the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency. According to reports appearing in the western press, there is a thriving underworld in nuclear material, and those offering their services to the highest bidder come from America and a number of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The latest report comes from Kuala Lumpur, where the Malaysian police said Mr Abu Tahir, a Sri Lankan businessman, served as a middleman on Dr Khan's behalf. In a 12-page report, the Malaysian police said citizens involved in proliferation came from Britain, Germany, Switzerland and Turkey. Accordingly, it suggested that the IAEA should launch investigations against "several individuals from Europe" involved in nuclear proliferation.

On Thursday, the New York Times came out with a more revealing story, saying that while Dr Khan had been "demonized" by Europe and America, western intelligence agencies have known that nuclear technology had been "pouring out of Europe" for decades despite export control measures. The NYT also reported the case of a South African-born Israeli national who sold nuclear triggers to both Pakistan and India.

Going by the cities where nuclear agents carried out their dangerous operations - Dubai, Istanbul, Caracas - one feels as if one is reading a James Bond novel. This underworld of greed and supreme criminality was abetted by what the New York Times calls "competition within Europe" for lucrative contracts with nations aspiring to produce nuclear weapons.

Wile the international efforts to stop further spread of nuclear material must continue, it is time the West also examined the causes why some countries have been so keen to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The truth is that the US-European stand on the nuclear question has been marked by duplicity from the very beginning, for it helped Israel become a nuclear power.

France gifted the Demona reactor to Israel, and the enriched uranium found "missing" from an American reactor landed up in Israel. Given the nature of Israel's conflict with its neighbours and its superiority in conventional weapons, Arab states were not doing something out of the ordinary by trying to match their enemy's nuclear capability. That they failed in this attempt is another matter. As for Pakistan, this country was left with no option but to develop its nuclear deterrence once India went nuclear in 1974.

The revelations implicating other countries do not make Pakistan's job any easier, for Islamabad must continue to cooperate with the IAEA and other friendly countries in non-proliferation. Dr Khan's confession should serve to make Pakistan tighten its anti-proliferation measures. To be specific, Pakistan must so act and its control system should be so fool proof that the world community should believe in Islamabad's assurances on this score.

Pakistan's nuclear weapons are only for defensive purposes and no country need have any misunderstanding or apprehension on this count. Enough damage has been done to the country's credibility on this score. One hopes Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri was not being overly optimistic when he said Pakistan had been able to "navigate" through multiple challenges successfully and that the fallout from the Dr Khan affair had been "contained."

Burning of schools

The recent spate of arson attacks on girls' schools in the Northern Areas needs to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Local officials have blamed hardline elements opposed to formal education of females for the attacks, which have so far resulted in the destruction of eight community schools in the area. Some reports have suggested a sectarian motive for the attacks; others say that the anger of the arsonists is directed more against foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and aid agencies whose funding has helped set up these schools.

It is believed that certain religious leaders have decreed that utilizing the funds of these NGOs is un-Islamic. That may be one reason why only foreign-funded schools have been targeted. Whatever the real reason, at stake is the future of thousands of girls who will have nowhere else to go for education if their schools are burnt down. The response of the government has been muted so far. While the police have arrested 20 people over the past few weeks in connection with the attacks, none have been charged as yet and little has been done to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.

The attackers could not have chosen a more critical area for venting their bizarre venom. With a population of around 1.5 million, at 12 per cent the literacy rate in the Northern Areas is among the lowest in the country. For reasons of poverty as well as social restrictions, most girls in the area were unable to go to school prior to the arrival of the community schools. With the help of NGOs and some enterprising local supporters, there are now about 100 such schools that have been set up specially for girls in the Northern Areas.

Though small in number, these schools are making a major impact on the lives of hundreds of young women who, as mothers, will have a crucial role to play one day in shaping the future of another generation of Pakistanis. It is incumbent on the government to take serious notice of the mischief of a few misguided elements so that an example is set for similarly inclined others in the area.

Dean's exit

Democratic candidate Howard Dean has ended his bid for the US presidency but has yet to announce whether he will be endorsing Senator John Kerry or Senator John Edwards as the candidate most likely to defeat George Bush in November. A former governor of Vermont, Dr Dean has declared that the fight is far from over and urged his supporters to "take back America", a phrase that has come to represent his challenge of the establishment both within his party and in Washington which resists any radical change in governance.

A strong opponent of special interest groups, Dr Dean succeeded in mobilizing youth, a group hitherto alien to Washington politics, and built a powerful grassroots network. He will particularly be remembered for tapping into the Internet as a tool for mobilization and fund raising. However, Dr Dean's failure lay in his inability to formulate comprehensive strategies on policy matters, his alienation from members of his own party and his hostility towards Congressional members.

Dr Dean's exit makes the race between Mr Kerry and Mr Edwards a competitive one, and sparring between the two has already begun. Both Senators will be turning to Dean supporters and endorsers to woo their votes on March 2 when the democratic primaries will be held in 10 states. Maryland, which was seen as a sure shot for Dr Dean, is particularly the focus of both campaigns and could prove to be a decisive win. Despite being labelled a front-runner, Mr Kerry faces tough opposition from Mr Edwards who has recently proved that he has more voters' trust than was earlier projected.

US presidential elections are largely concerned with domestic problems, but the Iraq war issue has made the Democratic nomination and the November election itself worthwhile watching for many outside observer. Both Mr Kerry and Mr Dean have come out strongly against the war. The former has an impeccable track record as a peace activist dating back to his disillusionment with the Vietnam war, in which he served.

But he was part of the overwhelming majority that gave Mr Bush his legislative authorization to wage a unilateral war against Iraq. It is safe to assume that the Democratic party machine will feel safer with Mr Kerry than with Mr Dean, who was unrelenting in his opposition to the Iraq adventure and had a clean track record on this account.