ISLAMABAD, April 7: Detained nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has said he took the blame four years ago for passing atomic secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya in order to “save his country”.

Mr Khan added that the country’s new government had not yet contacted him about his possible release.

Dr Khan was pardoned by President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf after his confession but has remained in detention. Mr Musharraf denied any state involvement in Dr Khan’s activities, but has rejected international requests to quiz the scientist.

“I saved the country for the first time when I made Pakistan a nuclear nation and saved it again when I confessed and took the whole blame on myself,” Dr Khan told AFP in a telephone interview from his Islamabad villa late Sunday.

Dr Khan is hailed as a hero by Pakistanis for transforming the country into the Muslim world’s first nuclear power. Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in 1998 in response to detonations by India.

“Even Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (president of the PML-Q) and Mushahid Hussain (general secretary of the party that backs Musharraf) said I saved Pakistan by accepting the whole blame myself,” he added.

Mr Musharraf’s political allies were routed in elections in February and a new government formed by slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s party and the grouping of former premier Nawaz Sharif has taken power.

Members of the new government have indicated that they may consider freeing Dr Khan as they review Mr Musharraf’s policies over the past nine years and seek to roll back his powers.

But Dr Khan said he had had no contact with the new administration.

“No government official has so far contacted me about my release nor would I contact any of them to do so,” Dr Khan said. “You had better ask this question of the government.” —AFP