Washington/Islamabad: In a startling revelation, James Loller, former operations chief of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has disclosed how Pakistan’s nuclear programme was compromised by leaks that sent shockwaves across global intelligence circles. Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan was secretly selling sensitive nuclear technology and classified knowledge to other countries.
Renowned for exposing Khan’s international nuclear smuggling network, Loller told ANI in an interview that CIA Director George Tenet personally briefed Musharraf on Khan’s activities, providing conclusive evidence.
The intelligence showed that he had been supplying sensitive nuclear technology to countries, including Libya, creating a severe threat to global security.
Upon receiving this information, the then President Musharraf reportedly reacted with fury. “He exploded and cursed Khan. He said, ‘I will kill him.’ Shortly after, Khan was placed under house arrest for several years in his own home,” Loller recalled.
Khan’s name has been linked to multiple controversies over the years, including the proliferation of nuclear technology and running illegal networks. In 2004, he was placed under custody. He later admitted to his role in the network, though he also levelled accusations against both Musharraf and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
According to Loller, Tenet had warned Musharraf that Khan was betraying Pakistan’s interests. After prolonged surveillance, the CIA discovered that while Khan was making Pakistan a nuclear-capable state, he was simultaneously sending crucial nuclear information abroad.
Loller revealed that this is why he had dubbed Khan “the Merchant of Death”.
The network under Khan’s control eventually reached Iran’s nuclear programme. Evidence emerged Tehran utilsed P1 and P2 centrifuge designs that had been smuggled by Khan.
His network had also delivered ballistic missile data and blueprints of a Chinese atomic bomb. Loller warned that if Iran became fully nuclear-capable, the Middle East could face a catastrophic “nuclear pandemic”.
This disclosure provides a rare inside look into the global nuclear proliferation network and highlights the complex and often perilous web of espionage, secrecy and political maneuvering surrounding Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions.
