Pakistan frees nuclear terrorist.

You've thrown the worst fear that can ever be hurled, A fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby unborn and unnamed You ain't worth the blood that runs in your veins
Bob Dylan

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The struggle of the superpowers that dominated the first nuclear age was contained by such hideous concepts as "mutually assured destruction" (MAD). The second nuclear age, however, will not be controlled by such nuclear abstinence, but by the twisted whims of suicidal terrorists and the abhorrent impulses of rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran.

For this reason I was particulary upset to see so many people in Pakistan celebrating the release, after only 5 years of home-detention, of Abdul Qadeer Khan - the father of this second nuclear age.

As the self confessed provider of illicit nuclear weapons technology to Iran, Libya, North Korea and other countries, for which he is alleged to have received millions of dollars, Mr. Khan has undoubtedly also ensured the proliferation of nuclear technology to terrorists. He is also a source of extreme national pride throughout Pakistan. Dr Khan welcomed the ruling that set him free and said he was not bothered what the international community thought of his release. Obviously Pakistan also isn't bothered by what the U.S. thinks of his release either; in spite of the enormous U.S. financial assistance provided to the country.

The host of shady deals done by Khan, for the sake of money, involved brokers and networks from Malaysia, Germany, Turkey, United Kingdom, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Japan and the Netherlands. Hardly difficult to believe that somewhere within all these exchanges he managed to advance the plans of terrorist organizations to obtain nuclear weapons. All this at a time when the US has provided approximately $12,000,000,000 in assistance to the Government of Pakistan over the past 7 years. To add insult to injury, Mr. Khan's release comes at a time when U.S. legislators are being asked to consider a bill that would triple the U.S.'s current annual non-military aid to Pakistan.

A CIA spokesman, George Little, has called Mr. Khan "one of the most dangerous proliferators in history". Surely Mr. Khan's hand in the proliferation of nuclear weapons to terrorists and rogue states, and the national celebrations that accompanied his release a few days ago must jeopardize Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Richard Holbrooke, the new U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan certainly has his work cut out for him.

In the meantime, how much more should U.S. taxpayers be prepared to pay for the obviously shaky commitment to world security offered by Pakistan.