LAHORE, Jan 22: The government is following the US agenda of winding up country's nuclear programme, surrendering on the Kashmir issue and downsizing the armed forces.

This was alleged by Awami Qiadat Party's information secretary Muhammad Mahdi on Thursday. He was speaking at a press conference at a local hotel. He warned the government that it should not blindly follow US dictates as Washington would ditch Islamabad after achieving its objectives.

He recalled US President Bush's recent statement that Pakistan was a friendly country only until it had interests common with America. He deplored that unlike the past rulers the present leadership was incapable to bear international pressure on matters of national interest and was transferring it to their juniors.

He said India had rewarded its nuclear scientists by electing one of them as its president while in Pakistan these national heroes were being interrogated in a humiliating way at the behest of the US. He said that sovereignty of the country was at stake as foreign agencies were being allowed to debrief nuclear scientists.

He was also critical of the opposition for not taking seriously the debriefing issue. He condemned the US authorities for launching a nefarious campaign against AQP president and former army chief Gen Aslam Beg to implicate him in nuclear technology transfer scandal. He said it was an attempt of the US to defame the Pakistan army.

ANP: The Awami National Party (ANP) has criticized the elements presenting nuclear scientists as national heroes. ANP secretary-general Ehsan Wyne told newsmen here on Thursday that if the scientists were found guilty of the charge of transferring atomic know-how to other countries, they should be tried in anti-terrorism courts because they had attempted to malign the state.