The bill approved by the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, will now go to the Senate for its approval to become law.

It aims to "regulate and control export, re-export, trans-shipment and transit of goods and technologies, material and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons and missiles capable of delivering such weapons."

Violators would face up to 14 years' jail and a fine of five million rupees (285,000 dollars).

"It is an important legislation and will effectively curb any chance of illegal export of any atomic, biological or missile technologies," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told AFP.

The government said the law was being enacted in line with a UN Security Council resolution, passed in April this year, aimed at keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the reach of terrorists and black market traders.

"By adopting this bill, Pakistan would fulfil its international obligation and strengthen its credentials as a responsible nuclear weapons state," it said.

Pakistan was hit by an arms proliferation scandal early this year when the architect of country's atomic weapons programme, Abdul Qadeer Khan, publicly confessed to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Khan was given a conditional pardon by President Pervez Musharraf but he remains under virtual house arrest in the capital Islamabad.

Minister of state for foreign affairs Khusro Bakhtyar told the house that "the bill would convey a positive signal to the international community regarding Pakistan's sincerity and commitment to the cause of non proliferation."

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