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U.S. curbs on Pak. nuclear facility

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD MARCH 31 . The United States has accused Pakistan's largest nuclear facility of helping an unnamed "foreign country, person or entity'' acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction.

In a statement made public here, the U.S. said a two-year trade sanction against the Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) had been imposed because of "material contribution to the efforts of a foreign country, person or entity of proliferation concern, to use, acquire, design, develop and or secure weapons of mass destruction... .''

The KRL is named after A.Q. Khan, scientist considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear programme.

The decision communicated by Washington to Islamabad last week provoked a sharp reaction from the Pakistan Foreign Office. Pakistan maintained that the decision to ban supplies would have no "material impact" but, at the same time, called it unjust and sought, in an obvious reference to India, an "even handed" approach.

Washington's announcement came as a surprise to observers as there was no explanation for the action. Two weeks ago when the U.S. lifted the so-called "democracy related" sanctions, all curbs by U.S. on Pakistan were over.

There have been speculative reports in a section of the American media about the nexus between Pakistan and North Korea in the nuclear field.

The Pakistan establishment vehemently denied them and the Bush administration, at least on record, had not raised any questions.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, at the regular press briefing insisted that the ban pertained to a particular commercial firm and would not have any impact on relations between Pakistan and the U.S.

Mr. Khan said that Washington had raised concerns or issues related to proliferation at the "dialogue on security issues" between Pakistan and the U.S. in Washington a few weeks ago.

However, U.S. officials had not given any signals that it was contemplating such a trade ban on KRL.

He reiterated that the U.S. decision to stop trade with the KRL for a period of two years would have no material impact either on KRL "which had never depended on foreign assistance, nor our determination to pursue our indigenous missile programme''.

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