Disgraced Pakistani scientist A Q Khan on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of a nuclear war with India, accusing the West of projecting the two countries as 'irresponsible'.
"Never, never," 76-year-old Khan, who is under house arrest in Islamabad since 2004 after confessing to proliferating atomic secrets, said when asked about a possibility of nuclear war between the two countries, during an interview with a private Indian channel.
"It's all western propaganda to put blame on us and to put blame on India and to project us as irresponsible countries. I never believe that in future there will be any war between the two countries," he said.
Asked about the reason behind the tit-for-tat nuclear test by Islamabad in 1998, Khan, regarded the architect of Pakistan's atomic programme, said, "The purpose was just to have some deterrent value... There are no aggressive designs against India or any other country."
Replying to a question about allegations that he sold sensitive nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, he insisted that he never did anything like that. "I never sold anything to anybody. I just pointed out ... who were the suppliers, from where they could buy their things."
About his recent claim that he admitted to transferring nuclear technology abroad under pressure from President Pervez Musharraf, Khan said, "Yes, there was some sort of pressure and some sort of advice from some good friends."
"At the time, the country was under tremendous international pressure, so they asked me to take the blame and get over with it. So I did it in the national interest," he added.
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