ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Proliferation of nuclear technology was the focus of the debate on Monday when the Senate resumed its discussions on the President's speech to the joint sitting, with the opposition accusing the government of bypassing Parliament , while treasury members appreciating government's handling of the issue.

However, the lack of quorum again marred the Senate proceedings which was adjourned until Wednesday 3pm by Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro. PPP Senator Khawaja Akbar pointed out to the lack of quorum during the late night sitting.

Earlier, the ANP parliamentary leader in the Senate Asfandyar Wali, in his speech, asked the government to take the parliament into confidence over the sensitive issue of nuclear proliferation and recalled that during the height of the Kargil conflict, the members of both the Senate as well as the National Assembly were informed about the issue during two separate briefings.

"Today the country is standing at a crossroads and there is a strong need of doing away the personal interest for the sake of country's security," he said, adding that developing national reconciliation and the national consensus on sensitive issues was the need of the hour and the government should show magnanimity by taking a lead in this direction.

Asfandyar Wali also accused the government of trampling on the concept of provincial autonomy by forming district governments to operate for six years under the local government system, and putting them under the direct control of the centre.

Referring to the statement of President Gen Pervez Musharraf in which he stated that the military as an institution was being targeted due to ulterior motives, Mr Wali said, the Army would remain the subject of criticism because the president continued to wear the caps of the President as well as the army chief simultaneously.

He suggested that Pakistan should avoid meddling in the affairs of Afghanistan and emphasized that only a strong and stable Afghanistan could guarantee a strong and stable Pakistan.

"Al-Qaeda is not a creation of the Pakhtoon society," he said, adding that those responsible for its creation knew where the leaders of this group were hiding.

He said the constitution of the National Security Council(NSC) would only weaken the existing institutions of the country. He was also bitter over the fact that the Supreme Court, which itself could not amend the constitution vested the power upon President Musharraf to amend the constitution according to his needs.

PML-N Senator Sajid Mir in his hard hitting speech held the successive military rulers responsible for all the ills the country was facing and raised seven questions seeking answers from the government.

He accused Gen Musharraf of failing to convince the West about the difference between fighting for freedom in Kashmir and terrorism. By assuring Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that no future infiltration in Kashmir would take place from our side and that Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Omar were hiding somewhere in NWFP, we were ourselves accepting our role in these crimes.

"Who supported Kashmiri jihad, who created Taliban, who trained Al-Qaeda and who proliferated nuclear technology," he asked demanding if these all were wrong than those involved should be punished.

Dr A.Q.Khan and his team was being accused of transferring nuclear technology to countries like North Korea, Iran and Libya when these countries were themselves not naming Pakistan, President Musharraf was just passing the buck. Not a single citizen in the country was ready to accept that only Dr Khan himself is involved in proliferation.