ISLAMABAD -- The controversy surrounding North Korea's nuclear program is a reminder of past miscues in Pakistan, whose disgraced nuclear scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, was accused last year of selling nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Khan lives under what amounts to house arrest in Islamabad. Most of his accomplices who were rounded up for questioning by Pakistani authorities have been released but likely remain under surveillance.
Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf often speaks of his determination to keep the country's nuclear program under tight control to prevent a repeat of the Khan fiasco. The United States, which backs the Pakistani ruler, has said it is satisfied with Islamabad's investigation of Khan's actions, although it reportedly would like to question the nuclear scientist directly.