PESHAWAR, April 1: Federal Minister for Information, Shaikh Rashid Ahmed has said that President Pervez Musharraf has taken strong  exception to US sanctions on Kahuta Research Laboratories in his telephonic contact with the  US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday.

“President Pervez Musharraf exchanged views on this issue with the US Secretary of State on telephone on Monday and conveyed Islamabad’s resentment about the same,” said Mr Rashid Ahmed here on Tuesday after holding a meeting with the president at Islamabad.

Describing the recently imposed US sanctions on Kahuta Research Laboratories as unjustified, Mr Rashid Ahmed questioned the timing of the sanctions and said Pakistan would not make any compromise on its sovereignty.

“They have selected wrong time to impose sanctions because this is not the appropriate moment for such things,” the minister said, adding that “neither Pakistan would be pushed by the US move nor the same would have any negative impact on the Kahuta Research Laboratories.”

He said Pakistan would prefer its sovereignty beyond anything. Mr Rashid said President Musharraf had also made it clear to the US Secretary of State during their discussion on Monday.

Replying to a question concerning US sanctions on Kahuta Research Laboratories here on Tuesday at the Peshawar Press Club’s “Meet the Press Programme”, the information minister said that “Pakistan would not compromise on its sovereignty”.

“We  hope Washington would acknowledge  our  national responsibility in view of growing threats from India,” said Mr Rashid Ahmed. However, he said Pakistan had nothing to worry about it because “the Kahuta Research Laboratories does not have import, export with the US”.

“Pakistan has indigenous technology, it has neither been stolen or taken (from any other country)”.

He dismissed the chances of Pakistan getting attacked by the allied forces after Iraq. “We are neither Iraq nor Afghanistan,” Mr Rashid Ahmed said, adding that “Pakistan is impregnable”.

Rejecting the notion that it is going to be Pakistan’s turn after Iraq, the minister described it as “propaganda by Zionists’ agents”.

He said sensitive installations of the country were well protected. “These are in safe hands.”

He said being an nuclear power, Pakistan was the actual Islamic power, though there might be others from among the Islamic countries who had importance due to their oil reserves and other reasons.

“Pakistan’s geo-political significance makes it distinctive in the whole region,” Mr Rashid Ahmed said rejecting the possibility of attack on Pakistan after the allied forces accomplished their objectives in Iraq.

He said US did not table second resolution in the UN Security Council after Pakistan refused to back it.

“We told them that the democratically elected government can not vote for you in the UN Security Council,” the minister said.

“It was after Pakistan that some of the other non-permanent members of the Security Council did not lend support to the US,” claimed the information minister, adding that Islamabad’s stand had also been acknowledged by France, Germany and China.

MMA-PML(Q) RELATIONS: He expressed the hope that the two political sides would be able to shun their differences and reach on some sort of agreement on the issue of Legal Framework Order and other issues hampering their relations.