LAHORE, Jan 28: Pakistan never transferred nuclear technology to any other country, National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) Chairman Dr Samar Mubarakmand said on Tuesday.

He was talking to newsmen after speaking at the ninth National Symposium on Frontiers in Physics, at the Government College University.

“The allegation is rubbish and nonsense. Pakistan is a responsible country and can not even think of transferring nuclear technology to other nations.”

He said that Pakistani scientists and army were fully prepared to face any eventuality. He said that Pakistan had its own missile programme and was also developing it according to modern needs.

He said the nation should not be worried about nuclear and missile programmes as these were in safe hands.

Speaking at the symposium, Dr Mubarakmand said that the European countries had closed the doors of research in physics related fields for Pakistanis. However, the NESCOM was establishing a centre of excellence for the purpose, at the cost of Rs500 million.

He said the NESCOM was producing some 20 PhDs in different disciplines of physics every year. He said that no one could underestimate the standard maintained by the NESCOM in the field of science and technology.

Dr Mubarakmand said that the country had 40 years old reactors and 50 years old nuclear accelerators. He urged the government to allocate more funds to replace the old infrastructure of science and technology with the new one.

GCU Vice-Chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab said that the varsity would continue to produce scientists like Dr Samar Mubarakmand and Dr Abdul Islam. Prof Dr Ghulam Murtaza, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Dr Ashgar Qadir, Dr Imtinan Elahi and Dr Maqsood also spoke on the occasion.