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S. M. HALI
It is a pity that India, which has played a major role in defaming Dr Abdul Qadeer and Pakistan for alleged nuclear proliferation and spares no occasion for defaming both, is itself guilty of proliferation activities.
The spine-tingling expose of two Indian Nuclear Scientists, Dr Y S R Prasad and Dr Surendar Chaudhary, on whom the international nuclear watchdog IAEA is keeping a close watch, following the imposition of sanctions by the US State department for their nuclear proliferation activities is a clear cut example of Indian irresponsibility in the nuclear arena.
Highly credible diplomatic sources, close to the UN agency have revealed that the IAEA has been closely studying the reports about the nuclear proliferation activities by Indian nuclear scientists who remained at the helm of affairs in India’s state nuclear programme for years.
Sources indicate that the two Indian nuclear scientists were not only themselves involved in these proliferation activities but were in fact running a worldwide network called Prasad-Chaudhary Proliferation Network.
**It was only after this development that the US State department, on September 29, 2004, exercising Non-proliferation Act 2000, imposed sanctions on Dr Prasad and Dr Chaudhary, through a Public Notice No-4845. On the other side, the US authorities and the IAEA investigators launched separate investigations into their activities. During these probes, it surfaced that Dr Prasad took the initiative for forming a network of nuclear proliferators in early 90s. **
He obtained permission and funds from the Indian government to run a programme for nuclear research assistance in different countries across the world.
He was initially allocated a grant of $20 million, which was doubled at two occasions later. Under this programme, Dr Prasad engaged the nuclear scientists of USSR who had gone jobless after the dissolution of Soviet Union and were struggling for survival.
These scientists were placed by Prasad in different countries across the world as his nuclear research assistants. According to some reports, these ‘assistants’ of Dr Prasad, who with the passage of time became specialists in nuclear proliferation, are still working in at least a dozen countries of Europe, Australia and Africa on different assignments.
Prasad had to have the services of some businessmen or influential politicians, so he managed to get ‘cooperation’ of suitable individuals. A British businessman, identified as Paul Griffin was one of the leading players of the Prasad network in this direction. Prasad-Chaudhary Nuclear Proliferation Network also had similar arrangements in Denmark, operating through a Danish entrepreneur Joergen Quist Neilsen. Neilsen, however, is also accused of nuclear smuggling to Libya and some other countries in collaboration with a Russian Big-Whig Alexander Kuzin.
In Germany, the Indian nuclear proliferators’ duo had the services of a German firm Boeshler Edelstahi.
Boeshler Edelstahi has been quoted by the investigators for provision of tons of maraging steel, an important element for the provision of centrifuges, to Iraq on behalf of Dr Prasad. US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage and Deputy Secretary, Christina Rocca took up the matter with the Indians at one stage to tighten the administrative control on tangible and intangible pilferage leaks and transfer of nuke hardware and software from the elusive Indian nuclear establishment and also chalk out a new legislative framework to criminalise such activity.
They advised Indians to keep a strict watch on the proliferation activities of Prasad-Chaudhary and other Indian nuclear scientists. However, as the Indians failed to go by any of the US advises, the US States Department imposed sanctions on Dr Prasad-Chaudhary on 29th September 2004.
While Prasad continued with his perilous trade, a member of the network, identified as Sita Ram Rai Mahadev was arrested in the US in December 2003 for exporting nuclear components to North Korea, while another member of the network was busted while trying to smuggle Russian missiles into the US via Canada.
Even back home, Prasad’s activities had started raising eyebrows, NPCIL, which Prasad headed, had become a breeding ground for nepotism and sycophancy degenerating to a dangerous cover-up culture. Prasad was the linchpin of an unholy nexus between unscrupulous business establishments, corrupt officials of NPCIL and DAE, India.
Serious irregularities were discovered by audit in the procurement by NPCIL for Kakrapara Atomic Power Station.
Fraudulent practices were also reported in procurement for Kaiga I and II Power Stations in Kamatka and RAPP III and IV Power stations at Rawatbhata near Kota, Rajasthan. Prasad meanwhile managed to get an extension in his service through his networking within the Indian nuclear establishment particularly with the blessings of Chairman AEC and Secretary DAE Dr Chidambaram, despite having reached the age of superannuation in 1998.
Nonetheless, Prasad realised that it would be difficult for him to cling to the Indian nuclear network for long and started looking for other venues. Due to his contacts with Iran in connection with clandestine nuclear cooperation with India, he managed to find a job in Tehran.
Prasad left NPCIL on 30 April, 2003 but before that, he placed his close confidante Surender Chaudhary in his shoes, a like-minded Indian nuclear scientist, whom he engaged much earlier to complete the formation of Prasad-Chaudhary Nuclear Proliferation Network, so that help and assistance for his network could continue from NPCIL. Iran’s nuclear programme received a major boost with joining of Prasad. Owing to his resourceful network within the Indian and Russian nuclear circles, pieces of the nuclear puzzle started to fall in place at an amazing pace. Alarm bells were raised and US put pressure on IAEA to verify certain violations of Treaty obligations by Iran, supplying it some information from its own intelligence, which finally resulted in IAEA inspections in Iran.
Thus Prasad unwittingly proved to be a precipitating factor in the disclosure of Iran’s secret nuclear programme. The IAEA, after receiving a variety of reports from the American experts and investigators in a recent meeting of its Board of Directors decided to focus on Prasad-Chaudhary Network as it has all the reasons to believe that it is the mother of all nuclear proliferation networks and must be checked.
It is believed that the nuclear watchdog agency, IAEA, is planning to submit formal request to Delhi for quizzing its two leading nuclear scientists i.e. Prasad and Chaudhary, already facing sanctions of US State Department." It remains to be seen whether the ‘WMDs and their delivery systems (Prevention of Unlawful Activities) Bill, 2005’ will be enforced to bring Dr Prasad and Surender Chaudhary to the book or sweep the gross misdeed under the carpet by continuing to blame Pakistan and Dr Qadeer Khan for nuclear proliferation.
Tarakki keejiye Hali sahib. Barhay novelist ban saktay hain aap 
Can you post one here to find out whether that was true or false,…?