May 28, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25,1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 27: The Pakistan Muslim League (N) has claimed that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are unsafe in the hands of Gen Pervez Musharraf and his “puppet” civilian government.

This was stated by the party’s central information secretary, Siddiqul Farooq, here on Tuesday while issuing what he called a “fact sheet” on the country’s nuclear programme on the 5th anniversary of nuclear tests conducted in 1998.

The PML-N leader said: “If we want to secure Pakistan’s nuclear assets, resolve the Kashmir issue, take the country out of isolation and regain its prestige in the comity of nations, then we must get rid of Gen Musharraf and his puppet government.”

He said as the nation was celebrating the 5th anniversary of Pakistan’s emergence as the world’s seventh nuclear power, it was proper to review the political developments that led to the decision by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to explode nuclear devices despite tremendous foreign pressures.

The PML-N leader was of the view that Pakistan’s strategic interests in the current regional and world scenario called for a determined resolve to continue with the nuclear programme and reject pressure to abandon it to maintain a balance of power and to protect Pakistan’s geographical frontiers.

“The argument that once the Kashmir issue is amicably resolved Pakistan would not need the nuclear deterrent has no weight, because for one thing, friendship and hostility are never permanent aspects of international relations,” he said.

Unfortunately, Mr Farooq said, the regime, which lacked political foresight and even a strategic vision, was “guided by the misconception of Gen Musharraf” that the US would act as a shield against India’s aggressive designs. “It is again a historical fact that the US policies are solely guided by its national interests and can be changed overnight. No one can predict what attitude the next US president would adopt towards Pakistan,” the PML-N leader said.

The US pressures were already on when Nawaz Sharif was elected prime minister for the first time in November 1990 as Pakistan’s conventional defence capability, structured largely on American equipment, had been impaired by the application of the Pressler Amendment, which also blocked even the delivery of equipment and spares paid for by Pakistan from its own resources.

He said the strategic environment of the subcontinent had become even more insecure when Nawaz Sharif was again elected prime minister in 1997. World media reports indicated that India had already a stockpile of 60 to 200 nuclear bombs. Meanwhile, fanatical fundamentalist BJP emerged as the leading member of a coalition government in India following the 1998 elections. The policy document released by the coalition partners on March 18 underlined the pledge to induct nuclear weapons in the country’s arsenal.

Nawaz Sharif tried to stem this new wave of Indian hostility with a letter to Prime Minister Vajpayee on March 20 inviting him to work closely to usher in a new era of durable peace and stability in South Asia. Nawaz Sharif had no choice but to prepare for adequate response in case New Delhi went on with the intention to demonstrate its nuclear power, and he forewarned world leaders in letters addressed to them on April 2, 1998 with words: “Pakistan will be obliged to take cognizance of these alarming developments, and it cannot but exercise its sovereign right to adopt appropriate measures to safeguard its security”.

As was expected, India detonated three nuclear bombs on May 11 at Pokhran. The western powers, who had refused to listen to Pakistan’s warnings and impose sanctions on India, now lined up to restrain Pakistan. It is now a matter of record that US President Bill Clinton rang up Nawaz Sharif five times during the three weeks preceding Pakistan’s nuclear explosions and offered all kinds of assistance to meet Pakistan’s security concerns. US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot arrived in Islamabad on May 15 at the head of a high-powered delegation with alluring offers, including the repeal of the Pressler Amendment and a new financial package, in exchange for Pakistan’s not going nuclear.

Having failed to evoke a favourable response from Nawaz Sharif, Talbot is reported to have threatened him with “dire consequences”.

On the morning after Talbot’s visit, Nawaz Sharif told Washington Post correspondent that the US officials tried to dissuade him from following India’s example, and then posed a query: “How far can any nation depend on the assurances of others?”

Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, revealed in Karachi on April 3, 2003, that President Clinton had offered to deposit 100 million dollars in the personal accounts of Nawaz Sharif and his brother if Pakistan desisted from testing its nuclear weapons.

He said despite making Pakistan the front-line state in the war against terrorism, Gen Musharraf had gained no support from the US. On the contrary, the US media launched a campaign for the need to target nuclear assets of Pakistan. It was backed by the US intelligence leaks alleging nuclear collusion between Pakistan and North Korea, even linking Pakistan’s nuclear scientists with Iraq.

He said a report of the US Central Command, published by the press on May 18, 2003, had exposed Musharraf’s statement made on September 19, 2001, about providing only logistic support and intelligence to the US during attack on Afghanistan. The report says that Pakistan provided five air bases. On the average, 400,000 litres of fuel per day was provided to the US. In order to facilitate launching of air operations, Pakistan provided 2/3rd of its air space as air corridor to the coalition forces.

The PML-N leader said the government falsely claimed that the US operations cost Pakistan only about 2-3 billion dollars. The US Central Command has exposed that lie with the report that Pakistan has suffered a loss of 10 billion dollars, he added.

As for the current status of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, Gen Musharraf told ABC Television on November 10, 2001: “Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not ready to be fired, they are not mated, they are geographically apart and they are not in a condition in which a button has to be pressed to fire them.” On the other hand, Indian nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Kalam and his successor Dr Chadambram in their statements on November 12 and 15, respectively, said: “Indian nuclear assets are safe and well in position and well in place. If weapons are made they are not meant for storing.”