AQ Khan's petition adjourned by Pakistani court

A Pakistani court today adjourned till November 19 a petition challenging restrictions on the movement of disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan after he and the government agreed to finalise his security plan.

After spending nearly five years in house arrest, Khan was declared a "free man" by the Islamabad High Court in February. However, security agencies continued to maintain strict surveillance on him and Khan recently filed a petition in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court seeking removal of restrictions on his movement.

In his petition, Khan pointed out that the restrictions on his movement were "unnecessary and uncalled for". His counsel informed the court today that the Supreme Court too had lifted these restrictions but Khan was still not allowed to move freely in the name of security concerns.

Advocate general Ahmed Bilal, who appeared on behalf of the federal government, said Khan's interviews to foreign news agencies were tarnishing Pakistan's image. The judges, in their remarks, asked both parties to be careful.

The hearing was adjourned after the lawyers of both sides sought time from the court to finalise a new security plan for Khan. He was placed under house arrest in early 2004 after he confessed on state-run television to running a clandestine proliferation network.