Nuclear espionage is almost as old as the nuclear bomb itself. But in the good old days the trade in, and exchange of, nuclear secrets was based on ideology - a trait foreign to the most famous present-day dealer in nuclear proliferation, our very own national hero, metallurgist-turned-nuclear-wizard, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan (trained as an engineer at the University of Karachi, graduated, and moved to West Germany and Belgium for further studies, earning a doctorate from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 1972).
Unlike the most famous of the early nuclear spies, Klaus Fuchs and the Rosenbergs, Julius and Ethel, all committed communists who robbed the West and freely gave the stolen secrets to the Soviet Union, Khan was motivated by material greed. But they all committed the crime of being caught. Fuchs paid his price in 1950 when he was sentenced in Britain to 14 years imprisonment, of which he served nine, returned to East Germany to continue his nuclear research, was forgotten and quietly died in 1988. The Rosenbergs paid a far greater price for their ideological commitment. They were brought to trial in New York City in 1951, sentenced to death, and executed in Sing Sing Prison in 1953.
Our man is lucky. Circumstances being what they are, and Pakistan having been brought to the plight in which it finds itself, there was no option but to let off lightly the biggest fish in the international nuclear proliferation pond in the hope that the entire issue will blur and fade, overtaken by yet another crisis in the string of crises by which this country seems forever beset. Herbert Feldman's second volume of his history of Pakistan, published in 1972, was entitled 'From Crisis to Crisis - 1962-69'. All accounts written in subsequent years should bear the same title.
Our Dr Khan has not restricted himself to nuclear matters. He has amassed wealth along the underground pathway and is the proud owner of substantial and valuable real estate at home and abroad. An expert also in self-publicity, he has lent his name and financial support to several educational institutions that impart scientific and technological knowledge, either (to his credit) by the use of part of his illegal (and immoral) earnings in the nuclear black market or by drumming up funds from others using his 'national hero' clout.
This, knowing the man, was not done purely for altruistic reasons, but rather for fame and glory, which he has assiduously courted for many years, winning himself bagfuls of gold and baser medals, and being endowed with countless honorary doctorates. There are also said to be some three dozen projects - schools, commercial centres, hospitals, sports grounds, roads and even graveyards that proudly bear his name.
He has arranged donations, inter alia, for the GIK Institute of Technology, the Mianwali Institute of Technology, the Academy of Science, naturally for the Qadeer Khan Institute of Technology, and for the Institute of Behavioural Sciences (IBS), established for the free treatment of the mentally affected.
The last named institution has not benefited from Dr Khan's attentions; it has, in fact, suffered. It was established in the late 1990s, with Dr Khan as a member involved in the collection of funds, and he soon jockeyed himself into appointment as patron and chancellor for life. He collected donations worth around Rs 63 million from 'others' and of this amount Rs 52 million was spent on bricks and mortar for the construction of a building bearing his name.
He subsequently developed differences with the government- notified members of the governing body. In December 2002, heaven and he alone knowing why, Dr Khan, at the head of a posse of armed men, physically took over the institute and thereafter filed a suit in the Sindh High Court. Amply illustrating the mettle of the man, his plaint opens up:
"The plaintiff is a national hero. He is singularly responsible for facilitating the requisition of nuclear technology for Pakistan, developing the 'enrichment of uranium plant' at Kahuta, and an atomic bomb for the country. He has also been the recipient of many awards, including the national awards of 'Nishan-i-Imtiaz' and 'Hilal-i-Imtiaz'. Apart from being a renowned scientist of international repute, the plaintiff is a philanthropist with many charitable projects to his credit.
"It is pertinent to point out that the plaintiff derives great respect and trust in society, with the result that many on his solo call richly contribute to any charitable endeavour."
Making fraudulent representations, and being in physical possession of the Institute, Dr Khan obtained an exparte stay order on December 10, 2002. Needless to say, on hearing the defendant doctors and others concerned, the High Court vacated the stay order at the next hearing on December 20.
When the IBS doctors and their assistants went to execute the vacated stay order they were physically prevented from entering the premises, which were and still are ably guarded by men of the Fauji Foundation. The government was reluctant to help and to this day Dr Khan and his henchmen remain entrenched in the institute and its premises. Litigation drags on, hearings are adjourned on one excuse or another, and the judges seem disinterested.
It is estimated that some 10,000 mentally sick citizens of Pakistan have been deprived of free treatment. The good national hero is responsible. Should he be granted pardon for this also?
We know with what dexterity President General Pervez Musharraf has acted in the national interest. We know that when asked at his press conference following the 'pardon' how, when questioned about Dr Khan's fortune, he smilingly answered, 'Let him live with his money."
Now, in the name of thousands of suffering citizens of his country, in their interest and in the national interest (normal, larger, supreme or other) will the general please once again act with dexterity and alleviate the plight of the mentally afflicted poverty-stricken who have been deprived of vital treatment. After all, he now owes it to them.