Pakistani government Saturday removed Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of the country's nuclear program, from his post as an adviser to the prime minister, officials said.  

The decision was made by the National Command Authority chaired by President Pervez Musharraf, which is in charge of the nation's nuclear button.

Qadeer Khan, long revered as "father of Islamic atomic bomb," has been emerged as the key suspect in the investigation launched in November after reports from the Iranian government and the International Atomic Energy Agency revealed that a number of Pakistani scientists were involved in the proliferation of nuclear know-how.

Six other scientists having worked with the Khan Research Laboratories, the country's top nuclear facility, are in custody, and governmental officials said the probe is closing to the end.

Qadeer Khan had been worked as an adviser to the prime minister on scientific matters since his retirement in 2001 as the head of the Khan Research Laboratories.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2004)