ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 29 (UPI) -- Pakistan has refused to reopen and further investigate the case of its controversial nuclear scientist Abdul Qadir Khan, as demanded by the United States.
"The case has been closed, and all important information had been collected and shared with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United States," said a statement from the Pakistani foreign office. The office was responding to U.S. nuclear expert David Albright's insistence that the nuclear proliferation case against Pakistani scientist Khan should be reopened and investigated further.
The foreign office said, in clear terms, that foreign interrogators would not be allowed direct access to Dr. Khan, The Hindu newspaper said Monday.
"We have completed our investigations and shared information with the IAEA and the U.S. We do not have any new information to share with the U.S. The Dr. Khan case has been closed on our part. If the U.S. has any new information, they should share it with us. We are ready to cooperate," foreign office spokesman Suhail Mehmood said.
David Albright, president of the U.S. Institute for Science and International Security, recently told U.S. Congress that the information provided by the Pakistani government to the IAEA and other governments appears to be incomplete.
Albright said the Pakistani government needed to provide more assistance to investigators, including direct access to the IAEA and the affected governments to question Khan and his associates verbally.
A Pakistani news report quoted Albright as saying the case against Khan was far from closed.
