Musharraf aides ask A Q Khan to avoid speaking against him

Islamabad, June 8 : Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's close aides have called on disgraced scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and asked him to avoid giving statements against the President.

The meeting took place in the backdrop of the scientist's recent statements that he had made the confession under pressure.

Dr Khan has recently said that he had given the televised confessional statement in the larger interest of the country, but the promises made to him by Musharraf for doing so had never been fulfilled.

According to the sources, Musharraf's aides told Dr Khan that his case could be reviewed and restrictions on his movement could be lifted, if he promised not to harm President's image in the media.

The sources claimed that Dr Khan gave a positive response to the offer.

Meanwhile, Dina Khan, the daughter of AQ Khan, has blasted Musharraf for falsely repeating his old statement about her father and said: "Musharraf should, in fact, be cringing with shame."

Dina Khan has strongly reacted to the statement of Musharraf, which he made during his meeting with media men in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

Her statement came amid reports that a team from the President House had met Dr AQ Khan and told him to stop attacking Musharraf in his statements.

"I find it quite amusing and ironic that a man who is clinging to power for dear life, having dragged the country down into its worst economic state ever, should presume to make statements about anyone else," The News quoted her, as saying.

ANI