Speaking by telephone to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, President Pervez Musharraf discussed Pakistan's ongoing probe into how nuclear technology had been passed to third countries, foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan said.

He said Powell's telephone call late Saturday lasted for over half an hour, and also touched on bilateral relations and the regional situation, as well as the pardon granted to the top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who admitted to passing nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

"President Musharraf conveyed Pakistan's firm resolve that such activity will never happen in future," the spokesman told AFP.

The country's nuclear programme is now "under firm control" of the National Command and Control Authority, which has taken steps to prevent proliferation in future, the Pakistani leader told Powell.

"Powell conveyed the US' appreciation of the efforts made by Pakistan and the manner in which it handled the investigation," the spokesman said.

"The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere."

He said Pakistan and the United States affirmed "they will continue to support international efforts to curb proliferation."

The spokesman said "Pakistan is ready to share information and results of our investigation in as much as they assist in achieving this objective."

"We have cooperated with the international community and we will continue to cooperate in the efforts to counter proliferation."

Powell would visit Pakistan "soon" for further talks on the nuclear investigation but no date had yet been set for the visit, a government official said in a separate statement.

Musharraf Thursday pardoned Khan, revered as the father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, after he apologised on state television for leaking nuclear secrets.

Powell on Friday stressed that the clemency for Khan was a domestic question for Musharraf, who has emerged as a key US ally since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

He told reporters at UN headquarters in New York that "goal number one" was making sure that no more sensitive nuclear details were passed on by any Pakistani scientist, including Khan -- dubbed by Powell the "biggest" of all nuclear proliferators.

"I'm pleased that President Musharraf realized that he had to do something about this network."

Khan on Wednesday admitted leaking secrets and begged for forgiveness following a lengthy investigation based on information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the alleged transfer of nuclear technology abroad.

Taking "full responsibility", Khan said the government of Pakistan was not involved in the proliferation scandal.

Musharraf said Khan had made "mistakes" but he pardoned him because of his service to Pakistan's national security.

The foreign ministry spokesman said Khan had been granted a pardon because he has helped in the government's investigation and he would continue to cooperate.

However, he said "strict security restrictions have been imposed on A.Q Khan" while seven other Pakistani scientists were formally detained last week.

"They will not be allowed to resume their illegal activities. They will not resume their duties."

Khan emerged a national hero some six years ago after Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in response to similar detonations by rival India in May 1998.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Kasuri said Khan was only one of many in the world spreading atomic know-how, mainly to Iran.

"Why this unhealthy focus on Pakistan, why not others? We are talking about various actors."

Kasuri told the concluding session of a security conference in Munich, Germany, that Iran and the IAEA had supplied Islamabad with a list of names of other people involved in supplying such technology to other countries.

"I know the names, I don't wish to spell them out ... there are lots of Europeans involved and there are other countries involved," Kasuri said in a vehement defence of his country's actions.

WAR.WIRE