Former Pakistani army head: North Korea gave him cash...

A Pakistani retired general says a North Korean military officer gave him 500,000 dollars in a bid to build ties with the Pakistani military on nuclear and missile development.

Ziauddin Butt, who headed Pakistan's intelligence agency and the army in the 1990s, made the comment in an interview with a local TV channel.

He said a North Korean military officer visited him in the mid-1990s and offered him a bag containing 500,000 dollars. At the time, he was in charge of procuring weapons and equipment for the Pakistani military.

He quoted the officer as saying the North Korean government ordered him to establish relations with Pakistan by giving the cash to a key figure in its government.

Experts believe that since former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited North Korea in 1993, Pakistan has bolstered its ties with North Korea.

With Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan playing a central role, Pakistan is believed to have provided nuclear technology to North Korea in return for missile expertise.

Ziauddin Butt noted that he believes that North Korea offered the bribe to prevent Pakistan's military from opposing collaborations with North Korea in the fields of nuclear and missile technology.
(Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2011-12-12)