Pak nuke scientist A Q Khan met Osama: Report

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[milestogo]

Pak nuke scientist A Q Khan met Osama: Report

Sunday, 03 April , 2005, 12:24

New Delhi: Pakistani scientists Abdul Qadeer Khan and Sultan Bashiruddin Mehmood had held meetings with Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders, exchanged letters with militant organisations like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and attended their gatherings and rallies, a media report said.

"When the CIA searched (Sultan Bashiruddin) Mehmood’s UTN (Umma Tameere-Nau) office in Kabul, they found large amounts of data on the construction and maintenance of nuclear weapons from the Kahuta laboratories. It also found letters exchanged between the UTN and Islamist extremist organisations including Lashkar-e-Toiba", a report in Pakistani weekly The Friday Times said.

Mehmood, a close confidante of A Q Khan and a former director of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, was arrested on October 23, 2001, at the headquarters of the UTN which he had set up for "humanitarian work in Afghanistan."

Quoting the famed journal Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the article said Khan and Mehmood and other scientists of his organisation "attended Lashkar-e-Toiba gatherings."

[Fast1]

Now that is not good news!

[FreeReign]

The F-16 is not in the class of sensitive military technology (anymore) - and those F-16 we sell to Pak will certainly be tweaked (nor do they have the needed technology for Nuclear delivery) - (and for the record Israel sold F-16's to China long ago )

Additionally, Pakistan already has 21 F-16A's and 11 F-16B's. Even Reagan sold F-16's to Pakistan and that was 20 years ago when they were more cutting edge.

[LAURENTIJ]

When, not if, nukes goes off in London and US cities, Pakistan needs to be responsible as if they were the USSR launching a full ICBM attack on us.

They need to be completely destroyed, along with Iran and North Korea and Syria.

[FreeReign]

From a previous thread: Pakistan has 700+ planes in their Air Force, not 400.

Link

[jerseygirl]

Russia will step in to support Iran, Syria, and North Korea (along with China on the latter.)

[FreeReign]

The actual report from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that this news article refers to has much more evidence about Musharef's awareness than I can restate here. That evidence is one reason that I maintain the opinion that I do.

A quick search on your linked article shows no references to Mush. If fact the article implied that the Pakistan government was acting responsibly.

Your Link | Excerpt :The Pakistani government held Mahmood and Majeed for several months, demonstrating its determination to uncover the extent of their cooperation with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Their detention also sent a signal to Pakistan's nuclear establishment that the government intended to protect sensitive information and stop illicit exports that might advance other nuclear weapon programs.

[SevenMinusOne]

Thanks for the ping - I'll read the information at the link you provided later tonight when I have more time - (thanks again).

[SevenMinusOne]

The difference between the F-16 & other Pakistani N-capable jets(Mirage-5 & Chinese A-5) is that the latter 2 are useless in any air to air role,unlike the F-16.So any Falcon equipped with a nuke has a greater chance to fight it's way past Indian jets.That threat gets amplified if Pakistan get's what it wants ie F-16 Blk 52s with AMRAAMs.

True and only somewhat true (in a long discussion) - In the short view these 16's could be just the deterrent needed for stopping India from getting the idea to drop the bomb itself - (we are helping tilt the scenario so there is no clear winner between these two - no assured easy strike for either side - via the air ) Makes a lot of sense -

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.truthusa.com/911news.html
http://www.truthusa.com/911.html

[Cindy]

Ping.

[Saberwielder]

I take it you will be okay if they arrest and release Bin Laden after holding him for a few months.

[Saberwielder]

A C-130 can drop a nuke or any other bomb for that matter. But an F-16 can do it better because it is designed to penetrate defenses better than a C-130. A F-16 Block 52 can do it even better because it comes equipped with ECM equipment and can jam its way through radar based Air Defense Networks to their target.

You can spin it whatever way you want, but rewarding Pakistan after its behavior is like giving a reformed criminal a key to the city instead of putting him on probation and asking him to be thankful for his freedom.

The F-16s will outlast Musharraf. The Pakistan government's current policies may not and probably will not.

[Saberwielder]

No clear winner? You must be kidding. If India really wants to, it can simply wipe out all of Pakistan's armed forces in a matter of 5-6 weeks of sustained warfare. Pakistan's nukes are a deterrent.

The only thing a few F-16s might do is to enable some cocksure and stupid General under Musharraf to launch a war on India hoping that the US will save Pakistan's butt like we did every time they launched a war.

We will come to regret this decision, like we did about every past time we armed them.

Pakistan needs schools not fighter bombers

[SevenMinusOne]

No clear winner? You must be kidding. If India really wants to, it can simply wipe out all of Pakistan's armed forces in a matter of 5-6 weeks of sustained warfare. Pakistan's nukes are a deterrent. The only thing a few F-16s might do is to enable some cocksure and stupid General under Musharraf to launch a war on India hoping that the US will save Pakistan's butt like we did every time they launched a war. We will come to regret this decision, like we did about every past time we armed them. Pakistan needs schools not fighter bombers

Those F-16 are for an air to air deterrent to India's air force (that is precisely why Pak wants them) - As for suggesting India could wipe out Pakistan within 5 to 6 weeks (simply ridiculous - We haven't managed to do that in Iraq in over a year - Yet you think millions of Muslims in Pak are going to roll over for India inside of 6 weeks - You don't know what you are talking about in the least).

GWB and Rumsfeld are smart men - The decision to sell F-16 was very much the correct choice - and it utterly silly for you to suggest these F-16's could be used to start a war by a reckless General (this reckless General you presume....already has the needed assets to start a war irregardless of these F-16's).

[SevenMinusOne]

You can spin it whatever way you want, but rewarding Pakistan after its behavior is like giving a reformed criminal a key to the city instead of putting him on probation and asking him to be thankful for his freedom.

You need to understand this isn't some theoretical college exam question - this is the real world - and in the real world Pakistan (Musraff) have done more for us (America) then any other Nation (outside of Qatar) in the Middle East with regard to the War on Terror (and they have even done much more than most European Countries).

The limited number of F-16's sold was for Defensive purposes - There isn't enough for any sustained offensive capabilities Vs India (that is the bottom line and everyone knows it).

[FreeReign]

I take it you will be okay if they arrest and release Bin Laden after holding him for a few months.

Your take -- your logic. It follows from nothing that I said.

[Pappy Smear]

KHAN!

[FreeReign]

...rewarding Pakistan after its behavior is like giving a reformed criminal a key to the city instead of putting him on probation and asking him to be thankful for his freedom.

Document Musharraf's criminal behavior in the WOT. Do I have to document all of Musharraf's positive behavior in the WOT?

The F-16s will outlast Musharraf. The Pakistan government's current policies may not and probably will not.

Pakistan already has 32 F-16's. Reagan sold F-16's to Pakistan.

[Saberwielder]

Document Musharraf's criminal behavior in the WOT. Do I have to document all of Musharraf's positive behavior in the WOT?

Firstly, it would be hard to argue with someone who is okay with the release of nuclear scientists who help Al Qaeda.

Unlike some with very poor memory, I haven't forgotten that it was the same Musharraf who deep sixed a 1998 plan by us to grab Osama Bin Laden. It was the same Musharraf who allowed Al Qaeda to use its Pakistani bases and facilities and other assets to be able to perpetrate 9/11 and kill 3,000 Americans. Read the 9/11 commission report if you want to understand what went on and how 9/11 actually happened as well the despicable role played by Musharraf's government in stymieing our efforts, especially in early 2001.

After 9/11, Musharraf has and still allows his spy agency to host senior Taliban leaders including Mulla Omar. Musharraf also winked at A.Q Khan's nuclear trade even after we warned him since late 2001 and has conducted the farcical drama with the pardoning of A.Q Khan in 2004 and harmed our security severely by directly causing two big crises in Iran and North Korea and still blocking access to Khan. He has done less than zero with the madrassas which churn out a million potential terrorists every year. He hasn't sidelined the mullahs but rather he has enabled them while he jailed secular moderate politicians. I could go on and on. He has done a bare minimum of what we asked him to do, just enough not to force us to call him out. A very clever game.

Finally, Pakistan has about 16 of their current F-16 A/Bs in working condition. You cannot compare that to 70-80 F-16 Block 52s unless you know nothing about military aviation.

[Saberwielder]

SAMs and Missile Defense systems are "Defensive Weapons". F-16s are not. More than the weapons, it is the symbolism that matters. Pakistani Generals have always overestimated their worth to the US and undertaken war moves thinking that we've got their back. Read the history of the region. Also read about Iran and the weapons we sold that Khomeini inherited. I can see regrets coming should a mullah General take over a Pakistan armed with 70-80 F-16 Blk/52s and nuclear weapons.