Nuclear conspiracy

Abdul Qadeer Khan is considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. He has been criticized for allegedly profiting from nuclear deals with North Korea, Libya and Iran and has been under investigation in Pakistan.

In 2004, he was detained and questioned before eventually confessing to running a proliferation ring. He received a pardon from General Pervez Musharraf who was president at the time. He is no longer under house arrest but remains under close surveillance.

Until now, many Pakistani officials have claimed that Qadeer acted alone. However, if a letter that he has released is found to be authentic, it could be evidence that other higher-level officials were also involved.

Pakistani officials say letter is 'a fake'

The letter is dated 1998 and was signed by a North Korean official. It states that three million dollars were paid to one Pakistani military official, while another received half a million dollars and some jewelry.

The senior Pakistani officials named are quoted by the Washington Post report as saying the letter is a fake. They deny involvement in the alleged bribery. The letter was reportedly obtained from the British journalist Simon Henderson who has written about Khan. He said he did not have the resources to verify the letter’s authenticity.

The report also says it cannot verify the account that Khan was expected to give documents on Pakistan's nuclear program to North Korea in exchange.

Khan has admitted to giving centrifuges and drawings to North Korea, which helped the isolated country begin work on a uranium-based bomb.

Whereas officials in Pakistan have rejected Khan's claims, Western intelligence officials say they believe the letter is authentic.

Author: Anne Thomas (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Ziphora Robina