Pakistani Secret Services Re-question Two Nuclear Scientists

Two prominent Pakistani nuclear scientists - Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mehmood and Choudhuri Abdul Majid, former experts of the Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission, have been arrested again and are being questioned for their possible contacts with Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda organisation and the Taliban movement. This was said by Major General Rashid Qureshi, the spokesman for President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. The other day, Pervez Musharraf said in an interview shown on the national TV that these scientists had not been involved in the national programme to develop nuclear weapons. Having resigned, they established a charity foundation to help Afghans. According to the Pakistani press, FBI investigators have been questioning the experts since October. They were released several times to be detained and questioned again, although the nature of the questions remains as yet unclear. The only thing governmental spokesmen disclosed was that investigators were digging into scientists' links and contacts in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden is known to have alleged a month ago that he had nuclear weapons.