Disgraced Pakistani scientist has cancer surgery

KARACHI, Sep 9 (Reuters) Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who confessed to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, underwent surgery for prostate cancer today.

Khan, who many Pakistanis still revere as the father of their country's atomic bomb, was operated on for nearly four hours at the heavily guarded Aga Khan hospital in the southern city of Karachi.

''We are satisfied with the way the operation went. There were no complications,'' a senior doctor told Reuters.

Khan, 70, has been under house arrest in the capital, Islamabad, since early 2004 when he confessed to selling nuclear secrets abroad. He was flown to Karachi this week.

His treatment schedule has been kept secret by the government, which has refused to let US and other foreign investigators question Khan.

Pakistan says it has shared all relevant information obtained from Khan with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.

Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998, weeks after arch-rival India tested nuclear bombs.

Khan was sacked as a government adviser after an investigation into his activities was launched in 2003 following an IAEA complaint that the scientist was transfering nuclear technology to some countries.

President General Pervez Musharraf described Khan's confession as one of the the most embarrassing moments in his presidency of but he pardoned the scientist because of his role in making Pakistan a nuclear state.

REUTERS PDM BST1828