07 February 2004	Saturday	15 Zilhaj 1424

ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: The family members of the detained officials of Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) have formed a committee to make concerted efforts for their release.

The body named Khans' Release Liaison Committee (KRLC) is headed by Hassamul Haq, elder brother of Maj Islamul Haq (retired). Other members of the committee are secretary-general Dr Shafiqueur Rehman, son of Brig Sajawal Khan Malik (retired); divisional secretary-general Usman Nazeer, son of Dr Nazeer Ahmed; information secretary, Asim Farooq, son of Dr Mohammad Farooq.

The committee expressed concern over registration of an FIR against Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and his 10 other associates with Airport Police Station, Rawalpindi. It condemned that the FIR had been sealed and despite several attempts, its copy was not being provided to the representatives of the families.

In view of the position taken by the government pertaining to the nuclear proliferation and Dr A.Q. Khan's statement in which he took full responsibility and stated that all persons working under him followed his instructions, there lies no justification - moral or legal - to detain the KRL scientists, engineers and personals anymore, the KRLC Members said.

They demanded that all the detained officials should be immediately released to save the families from agony and trauma.

They said while meeting with their family members on Eidul Azha in the presence of intelligence officers, the detained officials said they had not been involved in any wrongdoing and served the country and the organization to the best of their capabilities.

The allegation of personal greed, the KRLC members said, had no lawful or material grounds and, thus, specific details of any such charges should be made public.

The families of the detained officials have still not been able to meet Dr Khan despite having made several attempts, they said.

"We, the families of the unlawfully detained officials, demand a meeting with not only Dr Khan, but also with Gen Pervez Musharraf to project our plight as well as our point of view so that we are no more subjected to this ongoing unilateral media trial involving mud-slinging and character assassination attempts," they said.

The KRLC, through its chairman Hussamul Haq, has already filed a writ petition under section 199 of the Constitution, seeking immediate release of Dr Khan and declaring all actions being undertaken by the government against him null and void.