Stung by the growing international outcry questioning the release of rogue nuclear scientist A Q Khan, the Pakistan government has said it is considering to file a fresh appeal against a court's order declaring him a "free citizen".
"The government reserves the right to file an appeal against the High Court's decision," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told media-persons on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich on Sunday.
Qureshi said the release of Khan from effective house arrest was due to the Islamabad High Court's order and not an
"executive decision".
72-year-old Khan, who was put under house arrest in 2004 by then President Pervez Musharraf after the scientist
admitted having passed nuclear know how to North Korea and Iran, was released by Islamabad High Court on Friday.
Since the court issued its order, the top Pakistani leadership has been insisting that Khan has already been relieved of his duties and has nothing to do with the country's nuclear-related policies and nuclear programme.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has also said that Khan's proliferation network has been dismantled. Qureshi has
said Khan is no longer in a position to formulate or influence nuclear policy.
