ISLAMABAD, 29 March 2004 — US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday he had seen no evidence that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was involved in leaking nuclear secrets, but he could not say if Pakistan’s military was involved.

“I do not believe that there’s any evidence or any suggestion that President Musharraf was involved,” Rumsfeld told ABC television.

He added that Musharraf is a “person with a lot of courage” who has been “tremendously cooperative” in the US “war on terror.”

Musharraf has been broiled in a controversy over top Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan’s involvement in leaking nuclear secrets.

Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, last month publicly confessed that he had shared nuclear secrets with Iran, Libya and North Korea. Musharraf later pardoned Khan.

Asked whether high-level Pakistani military officials could have been involved, Rumsfeld said: “I’m not going to say that.”

“That’s where -- listen, you can’t prove a negative. You can’t say that I know that every person connected with the Pakistani military over some sustained period of time had no knowledge or participation whatsoever. That’s silly. I couldn’t do that.”

500 Pakistani Troops to Leave for Iraq Next Week

A first contingent of the Pakistan troops will leave for Iraq next week from the Karachi port, sources said.

“The first contingent of the Pakistan Navy consisting of 500 troops will leave for Iraq in the last week of March,” said the source requesting anonymity. “Most of the troops will be taken from navy,” he added.

According to the source, the Pakistani contingent would not take part in the combat missions and would take part only in relief activities and patrolling within the Iraqi sea limits. He said some doctors might also be included in the contingent for medical relief operations.

Pakistan has been declared a major non-Nato ally of the United States some days ago during Islamabad visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Moreover, commander of the US Central Command Gen. John Abizaid also visited Pakistan some days ago and held talks with senior Pakistani leaders.

Reports also say that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is scheduled to visit Pakistan shortly.