Pakistan house arrest

I. Founder of Pakistan’s Nuclear Program Seeks End to House Arrest

April 3, 2008

Salman Masood

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/world/asia/03pstan.html?ref=world

II. Summary

The founder of nuclear weapons in Pakistan, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has new hopes to have his house arrest sentence since 2004 lifted. 4 years ago, he confessed to his crime of selling designs of atomic weapons to other countries, such as Iran and North Korea. He was put under house arrest, and is now in poor health. However, it does not seem good to have his arrest removed. Khan was allowed one year ago to see some friends, showing that his restrictions were less strict, but do not seem to be loosening up any time soon.

II.

A) This article relates to the theme impact of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment because it shows that the more technology is developing, the more of a threat it is to the world, even when people with power over the technology are put away.

B) In 2004, Abdul Qadeer Khan, or also known as the “father of the bomb,” gave technology and designs of highly dangerous nuclear weapons to North Korea, Libya, and Iran illegally. He confessed to his crime, and was sentenced to house arrest for an extended period of time.

C) The point of view of this article was a male writer for the NY Times. He is an insider due to the fact that he lives in the United States.

D) The article may be skewed due to the fact that the writer is living in the United States, who is against any nations that are fighting against us holding atomic weapons in their possession. He may biased as to if and when Khan should get, and his views of the situation.

E) A point of view that is missing from the article is one from a leader or official of one of the countries that received the nuclear weapons. Perhaps they can tell the circumstances of how they got the weapons from Pakistan.

F) My reaction was that maybe it is better that Khan is under house arrest still, because it enforces what happens if you sell nuclear weapons to other countries.