Musharraf "lied" about Dr Khan's role in Nuke program, alleges scientist's wife

London, Aug 10 : Hendrina Khan, the wife of Pakistan's nuclear scientist AQ Khan, has alleged that President Pervez Musharraf had "lied" about her husband's role in the country's nuclear program.

In a detailed account to be published in "Der Spiegel" on Monday, she said that her husband was "pressured" to make a false confession and that he only carried out government orders.

Khan's wife's account would be published on the day when the PPP-led coalition government would be initiating impeachment proceedings against Musharraf for allegedly 'mismanaging the country'.

Lodging serious accusations against Musharraf, she claimed her husband, currently under house arrest, was not a nuclear dealer, and that he only ever "executed the instructions he was given" by the government.

About Dr Khan's infamous trip to North Korea allegedly to transfer nuclear technology, she said the trip was carried out "at the specific request" of Musharraf.

Dr Khan's wife's version is seen in contrast to Musharraf's disclosures in his memoirs "In the Line of Fire" published in 2006, in which wrote that he or his administration had no prior knowledge of Dr Khan's nuclear network. He wrote: "On the basis of the thorough probe that we conducted in 2003-2004. I can say with confidence that neither the Pakistan Army nor any of the past governments of Pakistan was ever involved or had any knowledge of A.Q.'s proliferation activities. The show was completely AQ's."

Hendrina Khan said her husband's health was deteriorating, and that she feared the government would continue to "prevent the truth from coming out" until the day he died.

ANI