Pakistan Govt imposes new curbs on nuclear scientist Dr. Khan

by Sanjay Jha | February 10, 2009 at 12:55 am

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Despite relief from a court in Pakistan which freed disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest, Pakistan government on Monday barred him again from meeting people after pressure from international powers.

Since Feb.6 few people have met Dr Khan but no one was allowed to visit his residence on Monday.

The government made its latest move a day after when Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told media that government reserved the rights to appeal against the court ruling.

‘If they have a right to contest, I too reserve the right to ask the court to uphold its decision,’ the nuclear scientist told Dawn.

Brushing aside all apprehensions of the west that he could again be involved in nuclear proliferation, Dr Khan said he had no concern with his previous department —Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). ‘I have no link with KRL since 2001,’ he said.

He reiterated that he had nothing to do with nuclear programme of Pakistan and due to his bad health he could not resume his work.

‘What I was doing in KRL was very sophisticated work and I cannot resume it because it required continuous involvement,’ he said.

‘Now I am spending time with my family. I have gone through very difficult time in detention but now I feel relief as my family is with me,’ Dr Khan said.

Meanwhile, the New York Times has quoted a Pakistan government official as saying that President Asif Ali Zardari has sought to assure the United States that AQ Khan is still restricted in his movement and activities,.

Mr. Khan will be barred from foreign travel, monitored closely, allowed to receive visitors only from an approved list of family and friends, and barred from making financial transactions, said the official, who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter.

Mr. Khan is a hero in Pakistan for developing the country’s nuclear program, and many claimed the Zardari government was detaining him at the behest of Washington, which accused him of selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

The court’s decision helped Mr. Zardari domestically but forced him to assuage American officials’ concerns that Mr. Khan could rebuild his proliferation network.