Pakistan's disgraced atomic scientist A Q Khan has said western countries did not actively oppose Islamabad's nuclear programme in late 1980s as they were too scared and pre-occupied with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and its consequences. In an interview to the NewsWeek's inaugural Pakistani edition, Khan also said the West ignored Pakistan's nuclear program as it needed the country's support to push the then Soviet Russia out of Afghanistan. He further said that the Afghan War was a blessing for Pakistan's nuclear program. Khan said neither the Americans nor the British had a clue about the status of Pakistan's nuclear programme until 1990. Khan has been slapped sanctions by the US for running a clandestine nuclear network.