New Delhi: US daily The Washington Times, in a report, has suggested that elements of the A Q Khan nuclear blackmarket may still exist in Pakistan.
Quoting several European intelligence sources, the report says Pakistan is still using the network to procure nuclear equipment in Europe.
The Khan network may not have been completely put out of action, an unnamed administration official was quoted as saying.
"It is possible that elements still exist and the US government is certainly aware and looking at this possibility," the official said in an assessment.
The report also suggests that while A Q Khan has been sidelined, younger people have taken over.
"Khan has been pushed aside, but other, younger people have taken over," David Albright, a nuclear analyst tracking the A Q Khan network at the Institute of Science and International Security, told the daily.
The report claims that as many as 20 government offices, laboratories and trading houses are buying nuclear equipment and materials
Administration Officials point out that since Pakistan is not a signatory to the NPT, or subject to inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is difficult to ascertain if what Islamabad is buying remains in the country.
"When Khan was caught, it did not mean that Pakistan's uranium enrichment programme had ended. Pakistan still needs its raw materials and equipment. And so when Khan was exposed, it turned to other sources," Washington Times quoted a senior official engaged in the Khan investigation as saying.
(with inputs from PTI)
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