ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: A government spokesman on Monday said that Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and his family had undergone a 'routine' medical check-up 'at his own initiative' and denied that Dr Khan had suffered a heart attack.

In a press release, the press information department described a report published in Dawn on Monday, "Dr Khan suffers heart attack", as completely untrue.

The spokesman regretted that the newspaper "sensationalized a routine check-up of Dr Khan and his family, done at his own initiative, as heart attack". It was equally untrue, he said, that Dr Khan was suffering from high blood pressure and that his condition was bad. However, Dr Khan's physician, Dr Shafiqur Rehman, said the nuclear scientist was suffering from "acute hypertension, high blood pressure, depression and sleeplessness".

Dr Rehman told AFP he had last visited Dr Khan at his residence in the last week of January when he found him in 'poor health'. Foreign office spokesman Masood Khan also denied that Dr Khan had suffered a heart attack and taken ill, "although he had recently undergone medical check-up".

The spokesman confirmed that Dr Khan had been placed under strict security measures as he was still answerable to questions. The spokesman said investigations were being carried out by Pakistan's own security men.

He confirmed that Pakistan, as a member of the IAEA governing board, would cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the results of investigation of Dr Khan and seven other nuclear scientists and senior staff members. He denied involvement of CIA in the current nuclear probe.