Pak: Dr Khan not a suspect in n-deals

Pakistan today said the country’s top nuclear scientist Dr A.Q. Khan was not a suspect in the ongoing probe into alleged proliferation of nuclear technology to Iran and Libya by Pakistani scientists. ‘‘Doctor A.Q. Khan is neither a suspect nor he is under any restriction,’’ Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said.

When asked if Khan’s name was placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), Hayat said: ‘‘It is a routine process that for the persons who are under investigation their names are placed on ECL, but Dr Qadeer Khan’s name is not on the list.’’

Meanwhile, a senior official said that the government has released another nuclear scientist, Abdul Majeed.

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Three other scientists and three security officials associated with Pakistan’s key uranium enrichment facility, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), are under investigation following proliferation allegations raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November.

They include close aides of Khan, revered as a national hero for providing the key uranium centrifuge designs that enabled Pakistan to develop a nuclear bomb.

— PTI