Court Rules Against Limiting Movements of Pakistani Scientist
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/wo....html?_r=1&hpw
By SALMAN MASOOD
Published: August 28, 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A court in Pakistan on Friday directed the government to lift any remaining restrictions on the movements of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the rogue scientist who confessed to having run an illicit global nuclear proliferation network.
The ruling is likely to create a new irritant with the Obama administration, which had said it was “exceedingly concerned” about Mr. Khan and whether the restrictions that remained on him were sufficient. Whether the government will follow through with the new ruling is unclear.
Mr. Khan, a metallurgist by profession, is hailed in Pakistan for developing the nation’s nuclear weapons program. He was placed under house arrest in 2004 after a tearful public apology in which he confessed to selling nuclear technology to several countries. American officials believe these included Iran, Libya and North Korea.
In February, a court in Islamabad lifted Mr. Khan’s house arrest and declared him a free man, to the elation of his supporters. But the government assured the United States that it would continue to monitor him, and some restrictions on the disgraced scientist remained intact.
Mr. Khan has been able to meet friends and family only after getting approval from the security agencies. He has not been allowed to travel abroad and is required to inform the government 48 hours in advance of his travel plans within the country.
The restrictions have exasperated Mr. Khan and his family, and the court ruling came in response to a petition filed Thursday in which Mr. Khan complained that the official protocol made him feel “like a prisoner.”
In response, Justice Ijaz Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court suspended the protocol and issued contempt notices to senior Islamabad police and administration officials, asking them to explain at the next hearing, scheduled for Sept. 4, why they continued to restrict Mr. Khan.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Khan’s wife, Hendrina Khan, said that her husband wanted to attend a granddaughter’s graduation on June 7 in Islamabad and had notified government officials a month in advance.
“But the moment we were about to leave our house, 12 people — from police, the ISI and, well, everybody — came, and the Islamabad commissioner padlocked the gate,” she said. “They put up roadblocks outside on the road and physically prohibited us from leaving.” ISI is the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan’s premier spy agency.
The incident, she said, compelled her husband to approach the court once again.
Mr. Khan and his family members welcomed the Friday ruling.
“It is excellent and heartwarming and very gratifying,” Mr. Khan was quoted as saying while talking to reporters gathered at his house. “I think the people who have been involved in playing mischief with me will get the message and allow me to live a peaceful, private life as a citizen.”
But Mrs. Khan expressed some skepticism. “I am sure they are going to use one pretext or another to continue the restrictions,” she said, “but we always remain hopeful.”
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