ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: Two ruling party figures told the National Assembly they found detained nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan “merry and hearty” when they visited him on Wednesday, but some opposition members voiced concern about the father of the country’s nuclear bomb after a government statement that he was suffering from prostrate cancer.

Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said he and Information and Broadcasting Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani had a one-hour meeting with Dr Khan at his home earlier in the day.

“He appeared to be ‘hashash, bashash’ (merry and hearty),” the PML chief said about the scientist who, he added, “came up to our car to see us off”.

His comment came after Mrs Tehmina Daultana of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) said she feared the scientist was “being killed slowly” and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) president Qazi Hussain Ahmed said he was prevented from meeting the “national hero” when he went to his home twice, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A government statement on Tuesday said results of recent tests and diagnoses had indicated that Dr Khan, who has been confined to his home in Islamabad since last year after allegations of involvement in clandestine nuclear proliferation, was suffering from prostrate cancer and that further investigations were being conducted by a board of doctors.

Mrs Daultana suggested that Dr Khan should better be admitted to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore rather than being treated at his home in Islamabad.

The MMA president said the whole nation was concerned about Dr Khan’s health, and called for removal of restrictions. He said he was not allowed to meet Dr Khan on Tuesday and when went to the scientist’s house again on Wednesday to meet him, an army major posted there gave him the telephone number of a major-general to seek permission.

The MMA president said Dr Khan was also his personal friend with whom had could not even contact on telephone for a year.

Information Minister Durrani said Dr Khan’s health was “all right” and he was looked after by a team of doctors. He advised the opposition not to politicise the matter. PML-N member Sahibzada Fazal Karim said he feared the scientist was being subjected to “slow poisoning” and suggested that all parliamentarians, particularly the leaders of parliamentary parties, be allowed to meet him.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and N. Areas Tahir Iqbal said Dr Khan was a national hero and nobody could ever poison him.