Islamabad: Acknowledging that "certain individuals" might have been motivated by "personal greed" to share nuclear technology with Iran, Pakistan today (Dec 23, 2003) said it is questioning several scientists, including father of its nuclear bomb Dr A Q Khan, for their alleged role.

"There are indications that certain individuals might have been motivated by personal ambition or greed, but…we have not made a final determination," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan told reporters in Islamabad.

While admitting that investigations were going on for several weeks, he said, "Let us not draw hasty conclusions."

"We have been approached by IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). We have been given some information by Government of Iran. The information shared with us pointed to certain individuals," he said.

Stressing that Dr Khan and other scientists were not detained, but only subjected to "de-briefing", he maintained that Pakistan Government and its nuclear institutions were never involved in the proliferation, but currently investigations were on to ascertain whether any nuclear weapons technology was proliferated by scientists themselves.

"The Government of Pakistan has never proliferated and would never proliferate. Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state and takes its responsibilities seriously."