26 January 2004	Monday	03 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Jan 25: The rulers of Pakistan are treating patriotic nuclear scientists as criminals and their houses are being raided in the name of 'debriefing' just to appease Americans, said Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leader Maulana Asadullah Bhutto on Sunday.

He expressed these views while speaking to a large number of people, who had gathered outside Karachi Press Club on the MMA call to protest against detention and harassment of nuclear scientists and military operation in Wana.

The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in support of nuclear scientists and people of Wana. Maulana Asadullah Bhutto termed the arrests of nuclear scientists "untraditional attack on nuclear installations" and expressed fear that army rulers of Pakistan had decided to quit nuclear programme of the country.

He said that raids on houses of nuclear scientists and their arrests had compelled their relatives to come out on streets. He observed that the masses were enraged by humiliation of nuclear scientists and if government did not change its policies, they would be marching towards Islamabad.

The MMA leader termed it a disloyalty with the Muslim Ummah to arresting those, who had turned Pakistan into the first Muslim atomic power. He asserted that the masses would not favour "supporters of America and traitors of the nation."

He said a nuclear scientist was made president in India, but, in Pakistan these national heroes were being dishonoured. He vowed the nation would protect its nuclear scientists and would not allow anyone to roll back its nuclear programme. - PPI