ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: Family members of the detained KRL officials on Monday called for immediate transfer of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan from his house to a hospital, where doctors could closely monitor his health.

They said this while speaking at a joint press conference at a local hotel here. They expressed deep concern about Dr Khan's health and his well being in government custody.

Dr Shafiqur Rehman, who claimed to be Dr Khan's personal physician, said the scientist had been administered high-potency drugs during the past week because of which his blood pressure shot up suddenly.

He said Dr Khan was being looked after by a single nurse at his residence. "He requires extraordinary medical care, which is possible only in a hospital," he said.

He said Aysha Khan, Dr Khan's younger daughter, was the only person who was allowed to meet him for half an hour daily but she had been warned by intelligence officials to avoid issuing statements about Dr Khan to the press, threatening to bar her from visiting her father.

Referring to the nuclear proliferation issue, Umar Nazir, son of Dr Nazir, said it was only through black market that Pakistan had acquired components for its nuclear installations, adding that with the closure of this market, the country's nuclear programme would automatically come to a stop.

"Everyone knows that we are getting spares and other vital items for running nuclear plants through black market," he said. The family members rejected all allegations levelled against Dr Khan and his colleagues.

They said Dr Khan was made a scapegoat and he was forced to give a confessional statement before the nation. They said nuclear technology could not be transferred without the government's consent.