Man held for links to nuclear scientist

t was unclear when Aizaz Jaffery was detained or what ties he is suspected of having to Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistan’s nuclear scientist who was pardoned by President Pervez Musharraf for leaking nuclear secrets.

Jaffery "is under detention and under investigation", said military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan. Jaffery reportedly owns an entertainment centre in Islamabad.

Jaffery has boasted of his ties to Khan, and officials say he was the scientist’s emissary to Iran, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Khan, who headed Khan Research Laboratories, is considered a national hero by many for giving the nation its nuclear deterrent against rival India. But he fell from grace after acknowledging giving nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.