Release of AQ Khan setting a dangerous precedent, warns ICNND Co-ChairmanIndia News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Expressing unhappiness over the release from house arrest of Pakistan ’s nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, the Co-Chairman of the International Commission on Nuclear Non -Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) Gareth Evans on Sunday asked the international agencies to constantly monitor the activities of such individuals to contain the proliferation of nuclear materials. Addressing the media at the end of a two day regional meeting of the ICNND, Evans said: “It involves the issue of security, security of materials, security of technology, so that they don’t export any information or component of the weapons in future in an uncontrolled fashion.” He further said that the international community should take this matter with extremely high priority. “In the aftermath of A.Q.Khan affairs, we have already put in place some of the UN resolution, conventions and treaties, which are quite a sophisticated and compressed set of controls not just on paper, but implemented in practice,” Evans added. Earlier in September, a media report had revealed that Khan had exposed the Pakistan Government over the nuclear proliferation activities that included exchanging and passing blue-prints and equipment to China , Iran , North Korea , and Libya . Another co-chairperson of the ICNND Yoriko Kawaguchi said: “There is an increased concern that the terrorists or non state actors might get hold of this nuclear-materials and use them in the form of bombs.” The ICNND a global initiate to reengage at a high political level debate about the need for nuclear weapons free world—and all the inter related issues of nuclear disarmament, non – proliferation and the future of civil nuclear energy in the run up to the May 2010 NPT review Conference and beyond. The ICNND aims to produce a substantial report by early 2010, with supplementary report as appropriate in mid –2010 reviewing the post NPT conference landscape. The commission is also developing an advocacy strategy aimed primarily at engaging the attention of governmental decision makers and those who influence them.