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KARACHI: North Korea’s nuclear technology is much better than Pakistan’s, nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan said on Monday, but ruled out any assistance from Islamabad to Pyongyang in this regard.
In a telephonic interview to BBC Urdu, Mr Khan insisted that North Korea was self-reliant in the nuclear field because of its highly qualified group of scientists.
His comments came a day after North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. It was the country’s sixth nuclear test and is considered the most powerful weapon Pyongyang has ever tested.
Mr Khan, said to be the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, said he had been to North Korea twice under a missile programme, and found that they had much better quality than Pakistan. “Their scientists are highly capable, and most of them have studied in Russia.”
Recalls he visited North Korea twice under a missile programme
Russia and China would never leave North Korea alone, he said, recalling the two countries’ support for Vietnam during its 20-year war with the United States.
In February 2004, Mr Khan confessed to having supplied nuclear technology and expertise to North Korea, Libya and Iran.
When asked about Pakistan’s role in North Korea’s nuclear programme, Mr Khan rejected the notion out of hand. “It’s out of the question. They have much better overall technology than ours. We have the same old and conventional technology,” he said.
However, he said Pakistan’s relationship with North Korea for the missile programme was common knowledge. “In fact, the Pakistani government itself announced that we were in contact with North Korea.”
On North Korea’s latest adventure, Mr Khan said the hydrogen bomb tested by Pyongyang had the capacity to destroy any city within minutes.
“Hydrogen bombs are much more powerful than atom bombs. For instance, an atom bomb may destroy the area in the radius of 1.5 to two kilometres, but a hydrogen bomb can devastate an entire city,” he said.
Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2017
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Comments (91) Closed
Ok. Even if Dr Qadir is true. Is it necessary to discuss this matter at this occasion. A very talkative scientist.
no worries.
We as humans think are most rational this day so these nukes are only deterrence. But so far our greede, anger, arrogance, impatience, insecurity are far higher and far behind the rationality we can claim. The day we made nuclear weapons made us impatient to use it attack immediately. And after seeing all destruction we made thousands of more bombs far powerful with every new version in coming years. Point is that we should at least accept that we have more anger and greed than the rational nuclear proponents declare that nukes are for only deterance.
Why don't you smuggle back the superior technology, as you did in the past to NK
They are better, because you are no longer the chief ? Is that what you wanted to say ?
What about missile technology sir ?
Entire world knows the truth behind North Korea's nuclear development. No need of any explaination..
World today knows who all helped North Korea ( NK ) to help them reach what they have " attained " today. NK's leadership is not in the hands of a democratically elected person and therefore, he has to do something continuously to keep himself perceived as a " leader " in the minds of his people. Autocratic leaders generally do not see reasons beyond themselves. It is sad that there is no one today to tell NK convincingly, that they are on a wrong and dangerous path. This is the biggest failure of today's world order.
We all know that Mr. Khan
Sir
The lunacy of Donald Trump and arrogance of US military chiefs has created a dangerous flashpoint that will lead the world to armageddon.
May God protect us all from another nuclear bomb!!!
Thanks
This was expected. In Russia 55% of the population completes a university degree and most degrees are technology based. In Pakistan only 3.5% of the population completes a university education and most qualification in Pakistan are humanities based.(yet our emphasis is only on metrobuses and motorways) It was a obvious choice for N.Korea to approach Russia than Pakistan.
There is one universal truth. The more you experiment, the more you develop any given tech. NK has been experimenting a lot. Naturally, they will be get better at the things they are experimenting with. That being said, there is another truth. NK has been, is and will remain in the foreseeable future a rogue nation which will continues to attract conflict with not one attempt at diplomacy.
Silence please, your talk will invite more trouble. Our hands are already full.
Thanks for the highly valued and secret information as No body was aware of this fact.
N Korea couldn't have done it alone.
North Korea is powerful nation who didn't care about anything and achieved what they want. This is how nations built.
We should learn from these Koreans and seek cooperation to better our technology.
Well said fact is a fact.
Dr AQ khan statement is justified because America is so much Afraid of North Koera.
Truth be told, it doesn't make much difference. NK sees a number of nations as existential threats, and therefore feels the need to maintain a stockpile of cutting edge nuclear weaponry. Pakistan needs just enough to keep its eastern neighbour in check, and we've been doing that successfully for decades.
Hasan
Aq needs to just stay Relevant 18 years since he was removed. He doesn't know anything about Pakistan's current status.
@Someone - It happens in manufacturing sector also where at times vendor becomes more efficient in production than the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) supplier.
Technologies that are destructive and can wipe off innocent lives should be banned. Neither US nor Russia nor any other country or person should have such capabilities. Something should be done to stop this insanity.
Dr Qadeer khan says right After all he is neuclear scientist pakistan proud to him
Who is source of this technology of North Korea certainly not China else same would have been available to Pakistan. Hard work pays best under knowledgeable mentor.
well said Khan ..... It's really a bad time on us that our legends were tortured. Nations make role model of such a personalities like you Khan. but we are moving in a wrong direction. If Khan knows our technology is old traditional it means He can do some advancement as well. Honest speaking we loses the Khan ..... , I hope in future scientists will not be treatment in a wrong way.
Thank you DAWN for keeping the Pakistani "interest" in the forefront by publishing this news at the "right time". Your "journalistic ethics" are far more "superior" than that of New York Times.
I really don't know why NYT does not publish news which conflicts the national interest of USA.
"Thanks again" for your transparency which is much "appreciated".
Even after all this Pakistan wants an entry into NSG group.
@Alfa ZULU: "Silence please, your talk will invite more trouble. Our hands are already full." Completely empathize with you. When Trump is breathing down your neck and getting poked by North Korea, discretion is a better part of valour.
So which statement of his is true - 2004 or 2017?
Had he compared commitment, dedication and quality of political leadership at the top of these two countries, may be his comment has some truth in it. Science and technology, in particular the most expensive nuclear technology can only move as far and as fast as the leadership is willing to support it, financially. His comments are completely misdirected at the wrong equation and he should know better if he claims himself as a scientist, let alone nuclear scientist, which he definitely is not.
Now it's make you wonder why Musharraf had kept him quite because you don't discuss these things... you sometimes have to keep your elders quite because of non favourable place and time of saying things with all the respect they deserve ...
Any technology that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and causing destruction is good enough for deterrent and its intended purposes.
Why is this man free? He is responsible for proliferation to NK, Iran and Libya and God knows who else.
Hasan about 3 hours ago Truth be told, it doesn't make much difference. NK sees a number of nations as existential threats, and therefore feels the need to maintain a stockpile of cutting edge nuclear weaponry. Pakistan needs just enough to keep its eastern neighbour in check, and we've been doing that successfully for decades.
An old adage "Those who live with the sword, end with the......." Pakistan should increase its nuclear stockpile.
Like me probably, many could recite an old Dawn column of professor Pervez Hoodbhoy's witty comments on Pakistani development both of fissile and missile development projects. Many days before the Chagai nuclear explosion,he said even those thing can be imported like CKD parts!Dr. Qadeer Khan just shown the position.
Dr AQ Khan is right. We as a nation never respect our heroes be it sports technology or science. What he gave to Pakistan is analogous to Dr Kalam to India but see how Indians made Dr kalam president and we keep humiliating dr aq. I really respect you sir Dr A Q khan.
@Pradip This is nothing. Western countries prolifirated nuclear technology to Israel. USA has given access to nuclear weapons to four European countries. India stole nuclear technology from different sources. Such is this business, the information must come from some source. What is more important is: the PRESENT time. Pakistan is a nuclear power, has mastered the nuclear technology and operates nuclear plans. NSG is a natural step for Pakistan.
He was just the front face of the Nuclear program. There were many brilliant minds behind it. He is also the same person who confirmed the fraud Agha Waqar claims to run car on water instead of petrol. If he were that knowledgeable, he would not have supported fraudster Agha Waqar's claims to run any car on water. I really doubt he has that level of knowledge to be called Father of Pakistan's Nuclear Programme.
Dr Qadeer will always be a hero to Pakistanis.
@Hasan In the mean time, while youve been doing that, you have ended up being one of the least developed countries in the region as your entire focus has been on nuclear development and not education, health, infrastructure and technology. Just wondering if the price you paid for it has been worth it.
Dr. A. Q. Khan should learn to keep silent on this sensitive issue at this critical time. This is not the right time for self-show-off or to be in the news.
Dr AQ Khan still a hero
International diplomacy is a pretty ugly business, who knows China and Russia maybe behind all this- apply additional pressure on the US
He himself is proving that what Pervez Musharraf said about him was true. Even a child can understand the timing of world events, and would never embroil himself or his country. Very unfortunate to have such a hero turning to Zero so fast.
So once North Korea is taken out, the world will look for people who gave the technology to NK.
A very immature personality. He should avoid airing such like statements at this point and time especially when international situation is already very critical and it can create difficulties for our country.
Pakistan develops unique habit of defaming its heroes.Be it Dr.A. Quadeer Khan,Professor Abdus Salam, Chaudhry,Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan for presenting the Kashmir case.Indians made its hero APJ Abul Kalam to the presidentship and Pakistan humalited Dr. A. Qadeer Khan.
This is another lie from this guy. The truth is he and the generals were involved in selling nuclear technology to Iran and North though the generals made him the scapegoat in the end. North Korea's nuclear technology is not better than Pakistan which any one can see considering Pakistan 's success so far relative to North Korea.
@Humanitarian APPROACH Have you considered the possibility that someone eelse made him say this?
Great. Good deterrent.
@Humanitarian APPROACH what is your concern after world has recognized his intelligent work and safety measures all invented locally?
@Someone For Record sake first get your intel straight
What is AQ Khan's source of information?
If North Korea's nuclear technology is better than Pakistan's, then how come Dr. Qadeer Khan could sell the technology !! And by the way Dr. Qadeer Khan is NOT a Nuclear Scientist he is a Metallurgist.
Introspection is needed.
In history when a new weapon system was invented, the people/nations that did not acquire it where destroyed. This is true of the musket and the light cannon. I don't blame any country weather it be North Korea or Iran to want nuclear weapons.
@Jay Mirza Does Dr.Qadeer Khan tell a lie or its a diplomatic truth, when for nation's issue they make believe more similar to poetic truth!
For the brilliant scientist that he claims to be, he is completely devoid of any political sense. Is this the time to be giving statements regarding his visit to NK on the missile program? Unbelievable!
@Khwarizmi Whatever you say, the west did not proliferate technologies to nations with dictators and bad characters. Its very easy to say that others did it so we did too. Fact of the matter remains, you have proliferated Nuclear tech to the most horrible regime in the world, that too in a period when it was clearly established as a total no-no.
Pakistan's track record of doing the most despicable thing makes it unfit for the NSG. Its just not nuclear proliferation.
You should go to NK to learn and bring back that technology.After you left Bhopal India in 1953 what did you achieve nothing but going to jail on false charges by Pak Government even you did great service producing deadly nuclear weapons for this country.Ask yourself honestly are you in peace leaving India ?
No need to state the obvious. It was North Korea who taught Pakistan missile technology. Besides the technology data supplied by Mr. AQ Khan was stolen from Netherlands anyways. Just acted as a middle man, no brains were used.
I think Pakistan Nuke tech might have been obsolete now...
Pakistan has been facing allegations of nuclear proliferation, this statement is important in regards to clarify those allegations. Pakistan has nothing to do with North Korean nuclear weapons and missile technology.
@Khwarizmi India did not steal its tecnology from any where. Its was developed mostly indignously with little help from Russia. We have enough scientists and experts to develop any technology be it I.T, Space, Medical, Defence or Nuclear. India will part of NSG in the near future when china see the fault in its ways. Also India will be a permanent member of the security council very soon.
No doubt we are proud of our nuclear program but there is always a room for improvement. He is showing us a factual picture based on his very own comparative analysis. I believe, if taken constructively, it may further improve our program.
NK uses chineese technology. NK is chineese trump card to check other nations. Plus.. I'm sure Pak bought missile technology from NK as they are good at making Missiles. Dr AQ is very right that Bomb deterred many from attacking Pakistan.. Country would have been long bombed by America and Nato but thankfully the Nuclear Bomb and nuke carriers helped saving the country from aggression against her. Thank you AQ. you are Pakistan's hero. Love and Respect from Atlanta..
If pakistan government analyze their country reputation from past 10-20 years, it is on downward trend. I have seen pakistani people sometimes avoid country of origin question. Why? Thanks to terrorism and friendship with wrong nation. Could you please imagine what would have been economic condition now, had pakistan would have been friend of India from freedom stage. There would have been no war and literary % would be at least 5-10% more as all tax money could have gone to common man's life improvement.
Coming from the same dude who was backing up the engineer who claimed to run a car with water as fuel. Take his analysis with not a grain but a truck load of salt.
@Humanitarian APPROACH Exactly!!
Exactly!!
Trump on one side, and Modi on the other. Pakistan is sandwiched everyday by these two people.
Old or New, nuclear weapons are meant to destroy human beings. Old technology is bad and new is very bad.
Can't this man just keep quite, for once...
With great respect to the technocrat/engineer and metallurgist Dr Q is, one thing he is NOT, he is NOT a scientist. Please appreciate the difference between a hypothesis generating scientist and a executor of complex projects. By the way I am from India and our Honorable Ex President AP Abdul Kalam is also potrayed as a scientist and he is also NOT.
@Humanitarian APPROACH
@Humanitarian APPROACH ----------------very true
Clearly this man's opinion is important.
Birds of same feather, flock together
@Syed raza you clearly don't know anything about N Korea.
@Naresh China is a glaring example of this while India is not. China is manufacturing power house and supplies every thing to the whole world.
So is he now implying that the smuggle was the other way around?
This is the perfect opportunity to clarifies things, most probably GoP asked him to talk to BBC. People don't read b/t the lines. Making perfect sense to tell world we were not involved in any sense with NK.
Thanks for telling the world
It would have been much better for Pakistan and for the people of this Globe that Doctor Sahib should have avoided airing this statement and become a party to this very sensitive matter.
Then we should upgrade our program to be better then NK.
Pakistan must give more attention to education rather than corruption. For self reliance economy education and industrial development is necessary.
@Humanitarian APPROACH Pakistan is a free country. They talk what they want and do not need any certificate from the anyone to speak or to act.
because NK is backed by China and Russia, ofcourse it will have better tech than Pakistan.
If North Korea is better than Pakistan but Pakistan technology missile and nuclear is much advance than India.
Nice words