Top Pakistani nuclear scientist denies confessing leak

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Top Pakistani nuclear scientist denies confessing leak

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Pakistan's top nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan has denied a claim by a government official that he has admitted he leaked nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said a religious opposition party leader Wednesday.

"I have called Abdul Qadeer Khan and he told me that he has not given any statement admitting to selling nuclear secrets to the three," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Mutahida Majlis-e-Amalj (MMA),the second largest opposition party in Pakistani National Assembly said.

An anonymous official told Pakistani journalists on Sunday that Dr. Khan had confessed to passing on information about nuclear technology in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Qadeer Khan told me that he has not issued any statement of confession," Qazi Hussain said.

Dr Khan, regarded as a national hero for making Pakistan a nuclear power, was dismissed as a scientific adviser to the government on Saturday - a move that sparked resentment across Pakistan.

The MMA leader also said on Tuesday that President Musharraf is 'insulting' scientists under US pressure.

He renewed his call for general strike on Feb. 6 to protest the dismissal of Dr. Khan.

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