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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan: New curbs imposed on Doc Strangelove |
| 2009-02-11 |
| (AKI/DAWN) - The Pakistani government is reported to have stopped nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan from meeting people, after the United States and Britain expressed serious concern over his release on a court order. Sources close to A.Q. Khan told Pakistani daily Dawn that after the court had declared him a free citizen, a few people met him, but no one was allowed to enter his residence on Monday. The Islamabad High Court on Friday declared A.Q. Khan a 'free citizen' but kept secret an agreement reached between him and the government. Legal experts said that unless the secret agreement was made public, restrictions on Khan's movement could be considered as contempt of court because he had been allowed by the court to meet anyone and go anywhere he wanted to. The move came a day after Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters that the government had reserved the right to go in appeal against the release of Khan. "If they have a right to contest, I too reserve the right to ask the court to uphold its decision," Khan told Dawn on Monday. Brushing aside West's concerns that he could again be involved in nuclear proliferation, Khan said he had nothing to do with his previous department (Khan Research Laboratories). "I have no links with KRL since 2001," he added. He reiterated that he had nothing to do with the country's nuclear programme and said that due to his bad health he could not resume 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 passing my time reading poetry and with my family. I have passed very difficult time in detention, but now I feel relief as my family is with me." |
| Posted by:Fred |