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U.S. Senator urges to resolve Kashmir issue

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (APP) :U.S. Senator Harry Reid has urged to resolve the Kashmir issue and said India should be persuaded to give the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people. He said there is no justification for the Kashmir issue remaining unresolved for so many years. Senator Reid, a member of powerful Senate appropriations Committee was speaking at a fund raising dinner organized by the Pakistani-American Physicians Public Affairs Committee (PAK-PAC) at the residence of noted Pakistani urologist Dr. Pervez Shah. Senator Reid said India's claim to consider Kashmir as its sovereign territory, beyond negotiation or mediation is politically flawed for not being based on a democratic expression of the Kashmiri people. He pledged to continue to explore every conceivable option to resolve this longstanding problem in the light of Untied Nations resolutions and would work for a mediated settlement of the Kashmir issue. Senator Reid also pledged his personal efforts to work with Muslims whose spiritual values, he deeply respects. Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Robert Richard Bryan, Senator Max Cleland and an elite cross-section of the Washington community also attended this glittering event.

Joint sitting of Parliament resumes debate on CTBT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 17 (APP) :Joint sitting of Parliament resumed debate on Wednesday on the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) with members from the treasury and some of the opposition benches participating in the debate. Initiating the debate Javed Ibrahim Piracha from treasury benches opposed the signing of CTBT and said without safeguards, government should not opt to sign CTBT. Terming the United States as "an international terrorist" who was exerting pressure to bring Pakistan in the CTBT fold which he said, will harm Pakistan's nuclear programme. He said " We cannot trust America and the G-8 countries" which basically have biased opinion against Islam and Pakistan. He said the country should not compromise on national interests. The government, Piracha said, should protect the national interests, country's integrity and solidarity. He eulogised the decision of Nawaz sharif to take up the CTBT issue in the joint sitting for discussion. He castigated opposition members "hypocritic posture" and said that on one hand their leaders were pressing to sign the CTBT and on other hand their parliamentarians were opposing it in the House.

No to CTBT, unless sanctions lifted: Sartaj

ISLAMABAD, Sept 17 (APP): Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz, while reiterating that Islamabad will not take any decision on CTBT under coercion, on Wednesday urged that unjustified sanctions against Pakistan be lifted immediately. "The illegal sanctions imposed on us had no justification and they should be lifted immediately," he said at the joint sitting of the Parliament while holding out categorical assurance that the Government will not take a decision against national interests. The joint sitting of the Parliament was specifically convened to discuss the comprehensive test ban treaty and Sartaj Aziz on Wedensday wound up the debate on the CTBT which continued for four days. Sartaj Aziz said, "We believe that Pakistan's nuclear tests have paved the way for regional peace." However, he agreed to the proposals of the members that the conventional defence capability also needs to be strengthened.

Pakistan not to transfer nuke technology to any country: Mushahid

JEDDAH, Sept 17 (APP) :Minister for Information Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that Pakistan will not transfer its nuclear technology to any country, "as our nuclear programme is for security and protection of the country and it is a peaceful programme." In an interview to prominent Arabic Daily of Saudi Arabia "Al-Madina", Mushahid Hussain said technology was not subservient to any religion or race. The promotion of sciences and technology lies in its general dissemination as well as serving the whole humanity. "We have used our nuclear option under duress and for the defence of our nation", he said. Referring to Israeli concern that nuclear tests by India and Pakistan would affect Middle East, the Minister replied that first thing was that Israel has 30 atom bombs as revealed in a recently published Western book then why Israel is trying that no Muslim country should get the nuclear programme and how it can talk about India-Pakistan nuclear programme. Israel wants to present a wrong picture of Muslim countries with a view to creating rift in the Ummah under the cover of Indo-Pak nuclear programme, he said.