KARACHI: Foreign accounts used to deposit the proceeds from the transfer of some nuclear technology to Iran have been traced back to at least two senior nuclear scientists, high-level government sources have revealed.

These accounts were being operated through a Dubai-based bank, which has already provided the required information to Pakistani authorities, sources said.

"It is an open and shut case," said the source, "Their foreign bank accounts swelled by millions of dollars as the sensitive information and some hardware reached Iran."

For investigation and security reasons the government sources are not revealing the names of the scientists involved in the deal.

The Iranian authorities have already confirmed the information about these bank accounts that were being controlled by the suspected Pakistani nuclear scientists. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the US government also had the full details of the financial transactions that took place between the Pakistani scientists and their Iranian sources, official sources said.

In the widening investigation of the nuclear imbroglio, officials have also discovered that one of the main Dubai-based cover companies used by the Khan Research Laboratories to procure hundreds of millions dollars of equipment was being operated by a close relative of a top nuclear scientist.

Pakistani investigators have also unearthed that the same nuclear scientist held tens of millions of dollars worth of direct and indirect financial and real estate holdings in Pakistan and abroad, mostly in Dubai.

For this reason, authorities are probing the scientist’s deep relationship with a Dubai-based Pakistani bullion trader and some Karachi-based businessmen.

"It is strange that the scientist was in touch with the Dubai bullion trader on daily basis," said a source.

Officials said that the Pakistani authorities debriefed the Dubai businessman on the scientist’s activities recently.

Interestingly, the investigators have also questioned a newspaper editor in Islamabad for allegedly running a publicity campaign for which the nuclear scientist had provided funds. The government sources have said that the scientist provided money to organise seminars, publish books and posters and create other publicity material lauding the nuclear scientist.

President Pervez Musharraf was briefed about the findings of the ongoing investigation before he left for foreign tour last week, officials said.

"I have never seen the president in such agony and anger. He was devastated," informed an official who had met the president shortly after he was briefed about the outcome of the probe against the nuclear scientist.

Meanwhile, a ranking government source has disclosed that the government has instructed all ministries and departments not to invite Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan as guest to any government function.

The decision to allow Dr Qadeer to continue as an adviser to the prime minister on scientific affairs would be taken by the president on his return from Davos on Sunday.

In a related development, the government sources have further disclosed, that the authorities have reversed an earlier decision to decorate Mrs Abdul Qadeer Khan with one of the highest civil awards of Pakistan.

Informed sources have said that the investigators, aided by the statements made by Dr Qadeer’s Principal Staff Officer Major (retd) Islamul Haq, his closest confidante Dr Nazir Ahmad, brigadiers Sajawal and Tajwar, and the procurement director of the KRL have successfully reconstructed the KRL-related activities of Dr Qadeer over the last 15 years.