sirenianshores

Strategypage reports that Pakistan recently released the last of eleven Pakistani scientists who helped develop Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

Pakistan recently released, from detention, the last of eleven Pakistani scientists who helped develop Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, but also made millions of dollars selling that technology to countries like Iran, North Korea and Libya. There was an international uproar three years ago when this black market for nuclear weapons secrets was revealed. Pakistan said it would look into it, and put into comfortable detention eleven of their nuclear scientists that were involved. However, the scientists were allowed to keep the money they had made selling the nuclear technology, and Pakistan has not allowed any foreign intelligence or police agencies to speak with the eleven. It’s a touchy situation, because the eleven scientists are national heroes in Pakistan. They now live, under tight security, in Pakistan. The government has absolved them of any wrongdoing. There is fear that the “Pakistani Eleven” could go into business again, with some of the original members, or a new crew from Pakistan’s nuclear weapons industry.

Pakistan has gotten not so much as a slap on the wrist for this. If those scientists can sell nuclear technology to rogue regimes, they can also sell it to terrorists with enough cash. Added to that is the fact that North Korea’s weapons are being ignored and Bush is now promoting nuclear weapons by handing over nuclear technology to India. In the case of Iran, it makes me wonder if Bush is actually serious about the threat of WMD’s or if that’s just a convenient way of generating public support for a war against a recalcitrant regime.