Pakistan: Nuke Arms Tech Leaks?

The father of Pakistan's nuclear program, a national hero for giving the Islamic world its first atomic bomb, has been confined to the capital as investigators probe whether the country's scientists gave away weapons technology, an acquaintance said Saturday.

Abdul Qadeer Khan has been questioned "many times" in recent weeks, said Zahid Malik, author of the book "Islamic Bomb" on Pakistan's nuclear program.

"He's cooperating (with the investigation) but he's satisfied that he's done nothing wrong," said Malik, who met Khan on Thursday.

Meantime Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf said Saturday that airtight military control over his country's nuclear weapons will keep them safe from terrorists, even if something happens to him.

Khan is also continuing his work as an adviser in the prime minister's office, Malik said. "He's restricted to Islamabad but goes to his office in the prime minister's secretariat," he told The Associated Press.

A government official said on condition of anonymity that "security restrictions may have been increased" on Khan, but added that the scientist had "chosen to stay in Islamabad" while "debriefings" of laboratory employees take place.

Pakistan's government denies it authorized any transfers of weapons technology to other countries - such as Iran, Libya or North Korea - but says individuals may have done so for their own profit.

Eight scientists and administrators from the Khan Research Laboratories, Pakistan's leading nuclear weapons facility, which is named after Khan, are currently being held for what the government has labeled "debriefings."

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said one KRL scientist, Saeed Mansoor Ahmad, was released late Saturday and that debriefings may end within a week.

Investigators also said Saturday they are checking the bank accounts of those detained. An Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators suspect one scientist and one other person did something for personal gain, but would give no names or further details.

"Pakistan's investigations are vigorous. And they are looking into all dimensions, including financial aspects," Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told the AP.

President Musharraf, who endured two assassination attempts in the past month, told the AP that "as long as the military of Pakistan remains, nothing can go wrong."

Musharraf said it was possible that "unscrupulous" individuals had exploited for personal gain the autonomy they were given to develop Pakistan's nuclear deterrent against rival India.

"We are carrying out an in-depth investigation and ... we will sort out everyone who is involved," he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.