Islamabad, Sep 16 : The father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has claimed that it was former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto who ordered him to transfer nuclear technology to two countries that she named.
In an interview to a Pakistani newspaper, Dr A Q Khan said that the transfer of nuclear technology was not so easy as if one could put it into a pocket and hand it over to another country.
“At least 800 people are used to supervise the process. The then prime minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto summoned me and named the two countries which were to be assisted and issued clear directions in this regard,” Khan said.
“I was not independent but was bound to abide by the orders of the prime minister, hence I did take this step in compliance with her order.
"The prime minister would have certainly known about the role and cooperation of the two countries, mentioned by her, in our national interest,” he explained. He did not reveal the names of the two countries.
Dr Khan said Pakistan's nuclear weapons were currently 100 percent secure, but if any dictator assumed power tomorrow, nothing could be said about the safety of the nuclear programme
The nuclear scientist said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who now claims credit for making Pakistan a nuclear weapon state and projects himself as a hero, was absolutely not ready to conduct the nuclear tests at Chaghai.
"He did not want to do so because of the fear that the United States might be annoyed and his government might be threatened."
Dr Khan said through some of his aides, who were also his (Qadeer's) friends, Nawaz Sharif tried to convince him to win international sympathy by staying silent in response to the Indian nuclear tests.
“But I made it clear that if he did so, I shall put the facts before the media. After this, Mian Nawaz Sharif was compelled to conduct the nuclear tests,” he said.
The noted nuclear scientist said the delay in the decision by Nawaz Sharif paved the way for international pressure on Pakistan.
“Had he immediately decided to respond to India, there would have been no time to pressurise Pakistan whereas we had made it clear that we can conduct nuclear tests at half-an-hour notice".
(Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Saturday refuted Dr Khan's accusation on Nawaz Sharif and said that the former PM had decided during his visit to Kazakistan to go through with the nuclear tests. PML- N spokesman Senator Pervaiz Rasheed said that Dr.Qadeer had himself showered praise on Nawaz Sharif for the nuclear tests on numerous occasions but now he had retreated from his previous statements.
“General Reene and General Tommy Franks have admitted that N.Sharif did not bow down to any pressure on the nuclear tests,” he added.)
Dr Khan said he had much expectations from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan but was disappointed after a few meetings with him, as his political thoughts were still immature and those pinning hopes on him would be let down.
The nuclear scientists said, Imran Khan does "cosmetic politics".
On US Drone attacks in tribal areas, Dr Khan said these were being carried out with the consent of the political leadership and the military.
“The political leadership is responsible for the drone attacks in the tribal areas while the military too cannot be absolved of the responsibility because it swears to protect the soil and frontiers of the country but it is not abiding by its oath by not stopping the drone attacks on the soil of the country,” he said.
“There is no need to order the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in this regard. If we provide indigenously-developed shoulder-fired small missiles to tribesmen, they will shoot down the drone aircraft. It is wrong to say that drone planes cannot be downed,” he opined.
“The US agenda regarding Pakistan is very clear. It wants to divide Pakistan and wants to limit the country merely to the Punjab. The US wants to get a no-war pact signed with India after naming the Punjab as Pakistan whereas we should improve relations with and adopt a friendly attitude towards India, instead of signing a no-war pact with her,” Dr Khan said.
Dr Khan said only poor and innocent citizens are being killed in attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). "If terrorists were being killed in these attacks, why were their bodies not being shown to the media? "
He said the United States would not withdraw from Afghanistan completely, but would maintain its real strength there.
Dr Khan said that Pakistan's relations with India were heading in the right direction nowadays.
He said Pakistan should promote friendly relations with India while sticking to its stance. He said he does not want to play a role in national politics but has launched the Tehrik Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan party to protect the country. He said he does not want to assume power, rather he wants to bring good and clean people to power.
On e general elections, Dr Khan said the Supreme Court's stand that it has closed all doors for the army to come into power was meaningless, because if the army wants, it can assume power any time and then it could also create a justification for assuming power and acquire constitutional protection. If the army wants, he added, it could also hold elections on scheduled time.
“When the aircraft of General Ziaul Haq had met an accident, the chief of the army of the time had decided to hold elections in the country without delay of even a moment.
He reached Islamabad from Bahawalpur and decided to make Ghulam Ishaq Khan president of the country and directed the chief election commissioner of the time, Justice (retd) Nusrat Mirza, by summoning him to the Army House the same night to make preparations for holding elections in the country,” Dr Khan recalled.
“Some quarters had advised him to put off the elections, saying that in this way Benazir Bhutto may come into power. On this, Aslam Beg said that if the people wanted the rule of a woman in the country, then who we are to stop them,” he added.
Dr Khan alleged that Pervez Musharraf presented him before the masses as a criminal to turn him from a hero to a zero to please the United States.
He said Musharaf sent Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and S M Zafar, who took him to Musharraf. According to Dr Khan, Musharraf told him that the US wanted to clamp sanctions on Pakistan's nuclear programme on nuclear proliferation issue.
“General (retd) Pervez Musharraf paid me glowing tributes, lauded my services for the nuclear programme and requested me that if you accept the responsibility of nuclear proliferation as a personal act, our nuclear programme may be saved and I did the same.
But in fact Musharraf wanted to please the United States for prolonging his rule and the same happened,” he said.
He said President Asif Ali Zardari was even far ahead of General Ziaul Haq and has beaten Mian Nawaz Sharif in the political arena.
He said a government, which has a democratic face and acts upon the dictates of the United States like the present government, is highly suitable to Washington.
Dr Khan presently lives in the last sector of Islamabad, along the Margalla Hills.
