Freed nukes proliferator worries U.S.

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By Nasir Khan THE WASHINGTON TIMES

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan | A Pakistani court's decision Friday to free nuclear proliferator Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest has created a new source of tension with the Obama administration on the eve of a visit by special envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Asked about Mr. Khan, whose black market sold nuclear weapons technology to countries including Libya, Iran and North Korea for nearly two decades, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, "I am very much concerned."

State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid called the Pakistani decision "unfortunate," saying Mr. Khan, despite being under house arrest for five years, is still a "serious proliferation risk."

"The proliferation support that Khan and his associates provided to Iran and North Korea has had a harmful impact on... international security and will for years to come," Mr. Duguid told reporters.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the Obama administration wants "assurances that Dr. Khan is not engaged or involved in any of the activity that resulted in his house arrest."

Freed from his home, Mr. Khan, 72, lashed out at Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf, who put the restrictions on him under pressure from U.S. and other Western leaders.

"I don't care about the rest of the world," he told ABC News. "I care about my country. Obama cares about America -- not about Pakistan, or India, Afghanistan, or anyone else, any other country."

Despite his black market activities, Mr. Khan is considered a hero in Pakistan for obtaining the technology that allowed the country to build and test a nuclear weapon in 1998 -- matching arch-rival India.

Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court Sardar Muhammad Aslam announced the decision on a writ petition filed by Mr. Khan. The court order said Mr. Khan is "a free citizen" and "Dr. Khan's plea is disposed of in accordance with" an annex whose contents were not made public.

The Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement that the government will provide security to Mr. Khan, suggesting that some restrictions may remain on his movement. "The so-called A.Q. Khan affair is a closed chapter," according to the statement.