Pakistan Frees 3 Staff Members of Nuclear Lab

Mohammed ul-Haq, who met with his brother at his home Saturday, said Islam ul-Haq developed symptoms of Parkinson's disease while in detention.

"He has lost a lot of weight," Mohammed ul-Haq added. "Mentally, he is very much shattered."

Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, Pakistan's military spokesman, said the men were returned to their homes because they weren't needed for further questioning. He added that the investigation was continuing and the men could be interrogated again.

Members of the detainees' families have protested in the streets and waged legal battles to win their release, insisting that they are scapegoats. The fact that they have not been charged with any crime is proof that they did nothing wrong, Mohammed ul-Haq said.

"I think they did not find anything against them," he said. "If they had, they would not have released them."

The government has formally withdrawn the detention orders issued against the three men under Pakistan's security law, but they must abide by strict conditions that amount to house arrest, Mohammed ul-Haq said. They cannot divulge any official secrets they have learned while working at the Kahuta facility, or during the investigation into the leaks, and they cannot meet anyone without permission from the federal government. They also cannot leave Islamabad, he said.

Musharraf has come under intense criticism in Pakistan for his handling of the nuclear weapons proliferation scandal, and opponents across the nation's political spectrum -- from Islamic hard-liners to mainstream parties -- say it is more evidence that the president is abusing the rights of national heroes to appease Washington, while protecting senior military officers.

"The United States government has been very biased in this right from the beginning of the episode, right from the beginning of our nuclear program," Mohammed ul-Haq said, echoing a popular view in Pakistan.

"They didn't want Pakistan to carry out or continue making advancements in nuclear technology. On the other hand, they set India free to do everything despite the fact that Pakistan has been very friendly and supportive to the United States' different causes in this region."

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Times special correspondent Mubashir Zaidi in London contributed to this report.