AQ Khan spills the beans 

Wednesday June 13, 2012

What Malik Riaz shared with Dr Khan during Lawyers' Movement

Ahmad Noorani

ISLAMABAD: Renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has disclosed that Behria Town Malik Riaz had met him during lawyers’ movement and revealed that he (MR) was trying his best to broker a deal between deposed Chief Justice and PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari so that the former will not take the NRO and Swiss money laundering cases after being restored.

Dr AQ Khan while talking to this scribe said that sometime in 2008 Malik Riaz came to his house and disclosed that he was trying to broker a deal between the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari. “Under the deal the deposed judges including Chief Justice Chaudhry will be restored provided they do not take up the NRO and Swiss cases of Asif Ali Zardari,” Dr Khan told Malik Riaz.  Dr Khan said that Malik Riaz had predicted that even the deposed Chief Justice could agree on the deal. Dr Khan said that he later came to know that it was wrong and deposed Chief Justice was not inclined to broker a deal. “I also know that Dr Faqir Hussain, presently registrar of Supreme Court, had also advised the deposed Chief Justice that making any such deal would be a wrong thing and deposed independent judiciary will be restored one day without any such deals,” Dr Khan said. Dr Khan said that it was in his notice that Malik Riaz had met the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry at his residence some times to broker this deal but this was presented in a very negative way on Tuesday. 

Dr. AQ Khan also said Malik Riaz has invited him in an inaugural ceremony some 15-year back. “This was for publicity purpose. I went their and I was shown some newly built bungalow. Later, in my speech I appreciated the work of construction as a routine mater” Dr Khan said adding “Later, I came to know that program was video taped and Behria Town aired my speech of appreciation in their advertisements for a long time without my permission.” Dr AQ Khan disclosed that after that ceremony, Malik Riaz gave him a key and said that this is key of new bungalow which Behria Town was giving me as a gift. “Thanks Almighty Allah, I straightforwardly refused. Otherwise, today, he would have been blackmailing me too,” Dr Khan said. “Despite all this, I always appreciated social work of any kind when later Malik Riaz built some hospital and informed me, I appreciated this in one of my columns,” Dr Khan said.