The Rehabilitation of Nuclear Public Enemy No. 1.(Periscope; INFAMOUS FOUNDING FATHERS)(A.Q. Khan)

Byline: Zahid Hussain and Jonathan Tepperman

If nukes in the hands of rogue states is the greatest threat the world faces today, then the planet might just have become more dangerous. That's because of the surprise rehabilitation in recent weeks of atomic enemy No. 1: AQ Khan. Khan is the father of Pakistan's atomic-weapons program, and he also helped spread banned nuclear technology to Libya and North Korea in the late 1990s. The man admitted as much in early 2004, after Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, under pressure from Washington, shut down Khan's operations and put him under house arrest.

Now, with Pakistan in turmoil, Khan is suddenly back in public life--a worrisome sign. Last month, he was allowed to leave home for the first time in four years. And when the country feted the 10th anniversary of its nuclear tests on May 29, Khan was touted as a "national hero." He also recanted his mea culpa in an interview with NEWSWEEK. "I have been vindicated," he said last week by phone. "All allegations against me have proved wrong." As for his previous confession? "It was extracted under duress."

Khan's new liberty underscores how weak Musharraf has become. As the president fights for his survival against a hostile Parliament, "what happens to Khan is no longer his concern," says Sumit Ganguly of Indiana University. Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif, ...