US persuaded Turkey, France to stop Pakistan-bound ships: WikiLeaks

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US persuaded Turkey, France to stop Pakistan-bound ships: WikiLeaks

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The United States feared that consignments were meant for Pakistans nuclear programme.

25 May,2011 10:27 am

The United States had persuaded Turkey and France in 2008 to stop ships navigating in their respective territorial waters with consignments for Pakistan, claims WikiLeaks.The Turkish government had demanded proofs from the US instead of evidence and the same was the reply from France. The United States feared that there was a risk of nuclear proliferation from the consignment bound for Pakistan. Former American ambassador Anne Woods Patterson wrote that according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Pakistan’s nuclear programme was not safe.The American ambassador to Taiwan said that China was providing nuclear parts to Pakistan. In 2009, he wrote about Pakistan-China nuclear cooperation, and that Pakistan was buying parts from Taiwan and China to be used in missiles.Another cable reveals that America protested against lifting of restriction on nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.Zardari said that he could have allowed the world nuclear agency to access Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan while former Strategic Planning Division chief Khalid Qidwai said that restrictions on Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan had to be lifted due to political considerations.Zardari had said that Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan would not be released at any cost. During his meeting with American ambassador, Qidwai said that Zardari had no role in Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan’s release. The decision of his release was taken somewhere else, he said.WikiLeaks also claims that Patterson wrote that some people were trying to defame Zardari and the Pakistan People’s Party. On one occasion, Patterson met Asif Zardari and intentionally talked about American aid to Pakistan.In a letter in 2008, Patterson wrote that anti-US sentiments were on the rise in Pakistan. An anti-America generation has born due to sanctions on Pakistan, she said. A Pakistani general was of the view that American media was being run by CIA. Patterson also said that Pakistan army believed the 9/11 was the work of Jews.