By Molly Moore
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, June 1, 1998; Page A14

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 31—The mastermind of Pakistan's nuclear program met the media today with no apologies for spending two decades developing what he described as a "destructive weapons system."

Abdul Qadeer Khan, revered as a hero in his homeland and sometimes referred to as "the father of the Islamic bomb," portrayed himself as "one of the kindest persons in Pakistan."

"I feed the birds; I feed ants in the morning. I feed monkeys that come down the mountain," said the scientist, 63.

Khan, in his first news conference since overseeing Pakistan's first nuclear test Thursday in the Chagai Hills of western Pakistan, said the country plans no further tests "in the near future."

But he indicated that at least one nuclear device remains capped in a hole at the test site after officials decided to explode one rather than two in its second round of underground tests on Saturday. U.S. analysts have said that nuclear weapons are difficult to remove after they are cemented into their holes and that eventual detonation is virtually certain.

"There were supposed to be two tests" Saturday, Khan said, refusing to provide details other than to add, "It was decided that only one would be enough."

Khan insisted that Pakistan exploded five weapons Thursday -- all of which he said were "successful" -- despite skepticism expressed by U.S. military and intelligence officials who said they detected only a single, relatively weak seismic signal from the test site.

India detonated five nuclear devices May 11 and 13, the country's only underground nuclear explosions since setting off its first nuclear test blast in 1974.

Khan explained the discrepancy between Pakistani claims and U.S. seismic readings by noting that if the bombs are "detonated simultaneously, only one shock wave goes." Analysts have said it is extremely difficult to conduct five simultaneous blasts.

Khan's news conference today and other comments he has made in the last few days have provided the only details about the tests. The Pakistani government has released no information other than to announce the blasts.

Khan, a German-trained metallurgist, said all the devices tested were of the fission type, as opposed to more powerful fusion -- or thermonuclear -- weapons.

The first round of tests included "a big bomb which had a yield of about 30-35 kilotons, which was twice as big as the one dropped on Hiroshima," Khan told the News, a Pakistani newspaper. "The other four were small, tactical weapons of low yield," he said. "Tipped on small missiles, they can be used in the battlefield against concentration of troops."

U.S. analysts estimated that Thursday's test was of two bombs with a combined explosive force of six kilotons of TNT. Estimates of the yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 range from 13 to 20 kilotons.

Analysts also were skeptical of India's claim to have exploded a thermonuclear device. Khan said today that Pakistan has the "capability" to produce a thermonuclear bomb but has not yet done so.

Khan said Pakistani officials "took 17 days" to prepare the bombs for the first tests, indicating that preparations began as soon as India detonated its bombs May 11. Khan said the Pakistani tests "gave us a sense of security" and relieved pressure on the Pakistani military, adding: "They believe they are on equal footing with India."

Asked about India's nuclear arsenal, which is believed to be substantially larger than Pakistan's, Khan told the News, "The numbers are less important than their effectiveness and sophistication." He added: "If there is a war, you need only a few. Deterrence is the main advantage. Now [that] they know we also have nuclear weapons, they will think 10 times before invading us."

Khan has been a controversial figure because of his role not only in developing Pakistan's nuclear program but in allegedly overseeing a worldwide network of spies who clandestinely bought or stole nuclear materials and technology from more advanced countries. Pakistani operatives reportedly set up fictitious companies and established circuitous shipping routes and smuggling operations to collect equipment, technology and data from the United States, China and European nations including Britain, the Netherlands, West Germany and Switzerland.

Asked today about the allegations, Khan replied, "every project is universal" and denied Pakistan stole technology or equipment for its nuclear program. He said countries and individuals were willing to sell technology and material to Pakistan despite what he termed "unnecessary restrictions," a reference to the laws of some nations that prohibit exporting sensitive nuclear material and technology.

"If somebody sells it to me and makes some profit, how can it be stolen?" Khan asked.