Pak govt denies Khan's heart attack 'rumours'

Abdul Qadeer Khan, the 68-year-old father of the country's nuclear programme -- now under house arrest after admitting he leaked weapons technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea -- was visited by a senior cardiologist at his home on Sunday, said Hussam ul-Haq, the head of a committee seeking Khan's release.

"His health is very bad. He is not in good shape," ul-Haq said. Two senior government officials, however, denied rumours that the scientist had suffered a heart attack.

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"It is absolutely wrong," army spokesman Major General Shaukut Sultan said. "He was taken to a hospital for a routine checkup."

Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Khan was "fine" and also denied he had suffered a heart attack.

Earlier PTI said Pakistan's top scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, involved in clandestine nuclear sales to "rogue states", has reportedly suffered a heart attack.

"Dr Khan is under treatment at his residence and his condition is stated to be critical," a local daily quoted officials of the of the hospital of the country's premier nuclear installation, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) formerly headed by Khan, as saying.

It said in view of his "poor cardiac" condition, a heart specialist along with a cardiac machine was "secretly" sent to the nuclear scientist's residence.