Thaindian News

Islamabad, Sep 2 (DPA) A Pakistani court Wednesday suspended an earlier ruling that had lifted security restrictions on nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, media reports said.
On Friday, a single-judge bench of the Lahore High Court ordered the government to remove any curbs on the movement of Khan, who had publicly admitted that he shared nuclear secrets with Iran, North Korea and Libya but then retracted his statement.

The government then appealed the decision to the same court.

A Lahore High Court division bench Wednesday suspended the earlier court decision and adjourned a hearing in the appeal until Sep 15, the ARY News television channel reported.

All parties to the case, including Khan, the government and security agencies, were summoned to explain their position.

Security cover around Khan’s bungalow was increased after Wednesday’s court ruling, private television channels reported.

Counsel for the nuclear scientist and government spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

Khan, 72, complained that he was confined to his house under the pretence of a security protocol which required him to seek permission to move around and meet guests.

The nuclear scientist, who is celebrated as the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, has been under virtual house arrest since early 2004 when he confessed to participating in nuclear proliferation.

He was immediately pardoned by then president Pervez Musharraf after the televised confession.

A court in Islamabad in February declared Khan “a free citizen”, subject to a security protocol agreed with the government.

The US government described Khan as “a serious proliferation risk”.