ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: Pakistan said on Saturday that it had not received any fresh request from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for direct access to nuclear scientist Dr A. Q Khan and reiterated the position of it being a “no-go area”.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam made a categorical statement on the issue on Saturday in response to a query by Dawn regarding the IAEA Director Mohammad ElBaradei’s recent comment that direct dialogue with the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme Dr A.Q. Khan would help in solving the complete puzzle about the network of proliferation of nuclear technology.
The IAEA chief said this in an interview to the Indian television network NDTV.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s stance on the sensitive issue of direct access, Ms Aslam observed: “As far as access to any of Pakistani scientists is concerned, the president on many occasions has made it clear that whatever information is required it will be provided through the Government of Pakistan.”
Underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to non-proliferation, she maintained: “Pakistan has been cooperating with the IAEA and will continue to do so in accordance with its international obligations.”
Asked if the IAEA had recently approached Pakistan with a fresh request for direct contact with the Pakistani nuclear scientist or whether the government was facing pressure on this front from any other quarter, she asserted: “There is no pressure and there is no request.”
The IAEA chief was quoted as telling NDTV: “I hope we should be able to get direct contact with him (Dr. A.Q. Khan) just to make sure we know everything there is to know about this network.
Notably, ElBaradei’s comment in response to a question posed to him by the Indian interviewer comes within a week of India’s call at the IAEA for further scrutiny of A.Q. Khan’s network for ensuring transparency in nuclear non-proliferation.
