The clandestine network trading in nuclear material and technology set up by rogue Pakistani scientist A Q Khan is still very much in business and actively involved in proliferation, a new report has claimed.
Khan is currently under house arrest in Pakistan after being exposed as the man who secretly supplied nuclear know how to Iran, North Korea and Libya. He had also attempted to sell the same service to Iraq, but been turned down by Saddam Hussein.
However the influential think tank, International Institute of Strategic Studies, says that his extensive 'contact book' has been sold on allowing lucrative new deals to take place.
Only a part of Khan's worldwide organisation has been uncovered and some of the members prosecuted. But, said Mark Fitzpatrick, one of the authors of the report, "In this case decapitating the head does not mean the body is dead. Khan's network was horizontal and in many ways self-supporting. He may have been the dealmaker, but many of his contacts have been able to organise their own deals."
Just how much money was made by Khan's network remains unknown. "Just one deal with the Libyans is estimated to have got him around $100 million", said Mr Fitzpatrick. "But we do not know how much of that he had to share with his network."
Khan was pardoned by Pakistani leader General Pervez Musharraf after admitting his role in proliferation and publicly declaring that the Pakistani state had played no part in the scheme.
However it is widely believed that Khan, who stole nuclear technology while working in Holland was under the sponsorship of the Pakistani government desperate to have nuclear parity with India. The US and other Western governments have not been allowed to question Khan by General Musharraf who claims this will compromise national security. Mr Fitzpatrick said " A number of Pakistani officials encouraged Khan in what he was doing.
They have not been prosecuted or punished in any way for this implicit complicity and we do not know what they are doing now.
"But Khan's contact list had been sold on to third parties who are continuing to obtain illicit supplies for their programme." According to the report, 'Nuclear Black Markets: Pakistan, A Q Khan and the rise of proliferation networks', Iran is one of the main buyers of illicit supplies. "Today, Iran remains the most active customer in the international nuclear black market", said Dr John Chipman, director-general of the IISS.
"Iran has sought dual-use goods from some of the same people and firms previously linked to Khan, but has also turned to new technology brokers."
"At least some Khan's associated appear to have escaped law enforcement attention and could, after a period of lying low, resume their black market business."
