No outsiders` involvement in Pak nuclear affairs: Musharraf
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, Feb 5, IRNA - Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday said Pakistan will not allow investigation into the nuclear affairs by the outsiders. "We are an independent nation and we check our affairs ourselves," President Musharraf told newspaper editors, columnists and senior local and foreign journalists in Rawalpindi. He however said if any IAEA official come to Pakistan, the government will tell him everything. He said Europeans are also involved in nuclear proliferation and questioned whether anyone asked them to submit their documents. "A number of countries have investigated the underworld dealings and Pakistan and they know the reality." He said the world governments know that the Pakistan government and military is not involved in proliferation. "It is the media which is saying the opposite." He said there is no pressure on Pakistan`s nuclear program and that there will be no role back of the program. "I will be the last man to agree to the role back of our nuclear and missile program," General Musharraf said. He emphasized that there will be no compromise on vital national interests including nuclear program and Kashmir. General Pervez Musharraf said that during the last four years there has been significant development in Pakistan`s nuclear and missile capability and this has no precedence. "The government determines its minimum deterrence level and by the grace of Allah Almighty this power is higher than that deterrence level." He said the country has made Shaheen-II missile having a range of two thousand kilometers and will be tested in a month`s time. General Pervez Musharraf said the findings of the investigation into nuclear proliferation have concluded that it was unfortunately under the supervision or orders of Dr. A.Q. Khan. "No government official or military man is involved in it. It started in 1980s and ended in around 2001." He said whole underworld including in Europe and Asia is involved in proliferation. "This allegation cannot be pinpointed against Pakistan as all atomic powers achieved this capability through underworld dealings." "We have to keep Pakistan`s interests uppermost and make it stronger. My job is to protect his country and protect the honor and dignity of our heroes." He however, said he will never reverse this order. He asked Pakistani media and the politicians to realize the situation. "We are a declared nuclear state and no one is asking us to stop it." General Pervez Musharraf said till 1998 when the entire programme was covert, every thing was between president, army chief and scientists and no government or army was involved. He said when the country became a declared nuclear state, it established a National Command Authority and Strategic Force Command. He also said that all the investigations into proliferation were done by Pakistan and no coercion was applied from outside. "We have to improve our perception in the world that we are a responsible state, we are against terrorism and Al-Qaeda and we want a peaceful resolution of Kashmir problem." The president further said that only eleven persons have been detained. "They include seven scientists and engineers, three armed forces personnel and one technician and all scientific organizations are functioning normally." He disclosed that former Army Chiefs General Aslam Beg and General Jehangir Karamat were also debriefed. He said it was the lust for money which motivated these individuals to the proliferation. "In mid 2003 when the IAEC inspectors went to Iran and saw the centrifuges and they noted that these were of Pakistani design." He said scientists names were given and Libya also passed on all the relevant documents full of boxes. "Pakistan moved very fast in the face of such developments and started investigations. They found that no government was involved but certain individuals were fully involved." To another question he said Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan will live in Pakistan and no Pakistani will forget his services to the nation. TSH/NB/210 End
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