KARACHI, Sept 7: A senior doctor from a private university hospital on Thursday visited nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan at a guest house in KDA Scheme-1, managed by a security agency.

Dr Qadeer was brought here for what a source privy to the movement of the scientist said a health check-up. There has been no official word on the subject.

Government officials and family members also met Dr Qadeer at his “stay place”, closely supervised by intelligence and security personnel, said the source. If needed, the source added, the scientist could be taken in a couple of days for clinical tests to the Aga Khan University Hospital, where he was operated upon for prostate cancer about a year ago.

After the information that the scientist was in the city, people from relevant quarters as well as media men gathered at a private university hospital on Friday. However, Dr Qadeer was not brought to the hospital, a source in the hospital said.

Dr Qadeer has been under house arrest in Islamabad for four years.The government had been under pressure from political figures and other sections of the society for imposing restrictions on the movement of Dr Qadeer, said another source. The latest shifting of the scientist to Karachi could be a government move to improve its image. At a time when “judicial activism” was being valued and the nation was close to general and presidential elections, the government needed some “face saving” and if things went in the right direction, the government was likely to delay the sending of Dr Qadeer to Islamabad, he added.