President Musharraf vowed to match India's arms build-up

General Pervez Musharraf, ending a three-day visit to South Korea, said Pakistan had not handed over any nuclear technology in return.

He said: "There is absolutely no interaction with North Korea whatsoever on any defence related matters."

Pakistan was justified in developing its nuclear capability to counter the threat from India, the president said.

'Imbalance'

President Musharraf said in Seoul on Friday that his country had obtained short-range missiles and technology from Pyongyang but that now it could make the missiles itself.

Pakistan has been suspected of supplying uranium-enrichment technology in return for missiles but President Musharraf said there had been "no transfer and no proliferation" of such technology.

Abdul Qadeer Khan, a national hero in Pakistan for his nuclear work

He also said that visits to North Korea by the father of the Pakistani nuclear weapons industry, Abdul Qadeer Khan, were related only to the purchase of conventional missiles.

Mr Khan's firm, Khan Research Laboratories, this year had sanctions imposed on it by the United States, although Washington stressed it was for missile technology transfers, not nuclear.

President Musharraf also vowed to match what he called a huge arms build-up by nuclear rivals India.

He said India had created an imbalance in weapons.

"We will respond to this imbalance, we will rectify this imbalance in the future through all means possible," the president said.

"I think we are fully justified in developing our nuclear and missile capability."

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since their creation after the Second World War and went to the brink of a fourth over the disputed region of Kashmir last year.