WASHINGTON, Jan 6: A Pakistani national was sentenced on Friday to 37 months in a US prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to illegally transfer nuclear-related materials to Pakistan from the United States.

On Thursday, a court in Washington, DC, sentenced another Pakistani citizen to 50 months in prison for conspiracy to provide material support to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Nadeem Akhtar, 46, who lives in Maryland outside Washington, pleaded guilty in September to charges of transferring nuclear material to his home country and was sentenced by US Judge Frederick Motz in Baltimore to the prison term, to be followed by two years of supervised release.

Irfan Ul Haq, 37, was sentenced by US District Judge John D. Bates on Dec 21, 2011. The term was announced on Thursday.

Judge Bates also sentenced Qasim Ali, 32, to 40 months in prison, and Zahid Yousaf, 43, to 36 months in prison.

On Sept 12, 2011, each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. As part of their plea agreements, the defendants agreed to a stipulated order of removal to Pakistan upon the completion of their criminal sentences.

Akhtar admitted that he and his conspirators used his company to obtain or attempt to get various nuclear-related devices and equipment from 2005 to 2010 and he misrepresented what they were and to whom they would be sold, the Justice Department said.

The items, which included radiation detection devices, resins for coolant water purification and calibration and switching equipment, had a value of more than $400,000.

Akhtar took direction from the owner of a trading company in Karachi who had business relationships with a Pakistani government entity, the US Justice Department said.

The statement said that Akhtar's co-conspirators included individuals in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and New York associated with the owner of the Pakistani trading company.

Akhtar is a legal permanent resident in the United States and he could face deportation after completing his sentence.—Correspondent