WASHINGTON, Dec 15: Pakistan is believed to have asked the United States to help overcome the controversy generated by recent media reports that it has allegedly provided nuclear technology to North Korea. Sources in Washington told Dawn that Pakistan has requested the US State Department to issue a statement clarifying Islamabad’s position.

Pakistan has categorically denied any such involvement with North Korea, assuring the United States that it “has not and will never share its nuclear technology with North Korea or any other country in the world.” says Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi.

Such denials, however, have had little impact on the US media. Since October this year, when the New York Time first reported the story, the alleged nuke-for-missile deal between Pakistan and North Korea keeps popping up in the American press.

The reports allege that Pakistan has provided nuclear technology to North Korea in return for the missiles Islamabad acquired from Pyongyang for strengthening its nuclear delivery system.

The reports claim that at the peak of the current standoff with India last summer, Pakistan acquired more missiles from North Korea, causing speculations about what Islamabad might have offered to Pyongyang in return.

The reports then go on to speculate that since Pakistan does not have enough cash to purchase such expensive missiles, it repaid North Korea by sharing its nuclear know-how with the rogue communist state.

All such reports are based on leaks from unnamed intelligence sources and so far no newspaper has offered any concrete evidence against Pakistan.

Soon after the first story broke out, US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to President Pervez Musharraf and later told reporters that Musharraf assured him that “no such transfer” was taking place.

He, however, left some room for speculation by adding that he was not talking about past transfers because “the past is past.”

Pakistan, however, insists that it never provided any information or material to North Korea that could be used for building a nuclear plant for civil or military purposes.

Ambassador Qazi returned from Pakistan last month with a personal assurance from President Musharraf that no such transaction ever took place.

Later, Pakistani diplomats conveyed this assurance to senior officials at the US State Department as well, with the request that Islamabad would appreciate if Washington issued a comprehensive statement, fully supporting Pakistan’s position.

While the State Department has not turned down Pakistan’s request, it does not appear willing to issue such a statement soon.