WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- What is particularly worrisome about the recent uproar caused by Pakistan's top nuclear scientist's sharing his technology with North Korea, Libya and Iran is precisely the lack of uproar the incident caused in the United States.
Far more was said and written in the American media this past week over singer Janet Jackson's right breast being exposed for a brief second or two during the televised half-time Super Bowl show than the amazing confession of Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Given the scope of attention this incident was accorded, one would think that Jackson's nipple (which by the way was partially covered) represented a greater threat to the stability of Western democracies, than the proliferation of nuclear technologies to "rogue states." With the persisting level of terror threats, the United States, which is leading the war on global terrorism, remains the most concerned by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. government agency that regulates and polices the morals of the American airwaves, ordered an investigation into Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" incident. Meanwhile, Washington was careful not to meddle into the far more serious menace to national security represented by the Pakistan affair.
The most frightening aspect of this story is not what we know -- what has already been disclosed by Khan in his carefully orchestrated, dramatic televised apology last Wednesday -- but what we don't know, and perhaps what we will never find out. Or if and when we do, it would probably be too late.
What we don't know is, who else did Khan peddle his lethal wares to? The real danger is if Khan, who sympathizes with Islamist groups, helped terrorist outfits obtain greater knowledge about weapons of mass destruction. Or even more worrisome, if he delivered to such groups the finished product. If he did help al-Qaida or any other extremist faction in their quest to acquire weapons of mass destruction, he most certainly would never admit to it on television nor in private.
In his apology, Khan -- known as the father of Pakistan's bomb -- said he had committed those acts for "higher reasons," leading some Western diplomats in Islamabad to venture that he wanted to share Pakistan's nuclear technology with other Muslim states. And although communist North Korea is by no means Muslim, the deal was most likely carried out in exchange for Pyongyang's missiles.
If his motive was indeed to help Islamic states reach the nuclear threshold, it would debunk Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's statement made at a news conference Thursday, that Khan and 10 other scientists were "motivated only by money and nothing else."
In his plea for forgiveness, Khan stated he acted alone. Now if you believe this, as someone once said, I would like to talk to you about a bridge that's up for sale. And Musharraf, fearing a backlash from Islamic groups and the population in general who revere Khan as a national hero, agreed to pardon the delinquent scientist.
Meanwhile, Washington was careful not to criticize Islamabad over the handling of the A.Q. Khan affair, not wanting to further embarrass an ally in the war on terrorism. To be sure, Musharraf is on very thin ice, with already seven attempts on his life since he assumed power in a military takeover in October 1999.
There can also be very little doubt that the transfer of nuclear technologies, a carefully guarded state secret in any country, could not have transpired without the knowledge, participation and acquiescence of either the Pakistani government, the military, the powerful Inter-State Intelligence services, or possibly even all of the above.
At the very least, some high-ranking members of the military must have allowed the transfer to occur. Among the many questions that scream for explanation is how does the nation's top nuclear scientist proceed to have contacts with nations such as North Korea, Iran and Libya and not raise an eyebrow or two? Certainly a man of his stature deserves government protection, if not surveillance. Musharraf, in fact, admitted that investigators had questioned two former army chiefs, generals Aslam Beg and Jehangir Karamat. But, the investigation concluded that they were not involved.
Two major opposition parties, the Pakistan Muslim League, which is led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan People's Party, headed by Benazir Bhutto, also a former prime minister, demanded that a parliamentary inquiry into this nuclear scandal be launched.
Maybe the hush from Washington will dissipate once a bi-partisan commission is formed and ordered to investigate why the nation's intelligence services failed to detect what was afoot.
