Washington, Nov. 13 : Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. A Q Khan has sensationally revealed that China had provided weapons-grade uranium, sufficient for making two atomic bombs, to Pakistan in 1982.

According to Dr. Khan’s accounts in The Washington Post, the transfer of nuclear fuel was ‘part of a broad-ranging, secret nuclear deal approved years earlier by Mao Zedong and Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto that culminated in an exceptional, deliberate act of proliferation by a nuclear power.’

“The uranium cargo came with a blueprint for a simple weapon that China had already tested, supplying a virtual do-it-yourself kit that significantly speeded Pakistan''s bomb effort. The transfer also started a chain of proliferation,” the newspaper quoted Khan, who is currently under house arrest in Pakistan, as saying.

“China sent Pakistan 15 tons of uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a feedstock for Pakistan''s centrifuges, which were difficult to produce on our own. The gas enabled the laboratory to begin producing bomb-grade uranium in 1982. Chinese scientists helped the Pakistanis solve other nuclear weapons challenges, but as their competence rose, so did the fear of top Pakistani officials that Israel or India might pre-emptively strike key nuclear sites,” he added.

The United States maintains that had information about the illegal nuke transfers between Pakistan and China, but has never raised the issue in public.

The issue is expected to come up for discussion during President Barack Obama’s maiden Beijing visit, later this week.

It is pertinent to mention that Khan, in his letter to Simon Henderson, a former journalist at the Financial Times, had also revealed that Beijing was the first customer for one of Pakistan''s enrichment plants.

“We put up a centrifuge plant at Hanzhong (250km southwest of Xian). The Chinese gave us drawings of the nuclear weapon, gave us 50kg of enriched uranium, gave us 10 tons of UF6 (natural) and 5 tons of UF6,” Khan had said.

The letter contained intriguing details of Pakistan’s nuclear programme and which Islamabad definitely did not wanted to reach the Western countries, as it could have then seriously impeded Pakistan''s relations with the west.

“Probably with the blessings of BB (Benazir Bhutto) General Imtiaz (Benazir’s defence adviser) asked... me to give a set of drawings and some components to the Iranians... The names and addresses of suppliers were also given to the Iranians,” Qadeer said in his letter. (ANI)