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Army has mandate to take decision on CTBT: Leghari

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Millat Party President Sardar Farooq Ahmad Leghari, has said that the present setup, de facto in nature having been recognized by all the political parties, including the Millat Party, had a mandate to take decision regarding signing of the CTBT.

He said this while addressing a press conference after presiding over a meeting of the party National Executive Committee on CTBT and Kashmir issues, on Friday.

On President Clinton's visit to the region, Leghari said that it would be a blunder on the part of USA if Clinton excludes Pakistan from his intinerary. If Clinton visits only India, it would encourage her for aggression, he added.

He said the government should take decision regarding signing of the CTBT in the best interest of the nation, because Pakistan had achieved the nuclear deterrent for its defence purposes.

He said that the Millat Party believes that Pakistan's nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes. It was only after India's development of nuclear technology for weaponisation that Pakistan decided to develop its own deterrent against growing aggressive Indian designs. Ever since May 1998, both India and Pakistan are de facto nuclear powers. It is not possible for Pakistan to roll back its nuclear programme unless the so-called five nuclear powers also do the same and all weapons of mass destruction are eliminated throughout the world, he added.

Pakistan is under international pressure to accede to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). A so-called debate is also taking place on the merits and demerits of signing the treaty, its timing and whether Pakistan should sign before India does so or not, Leghari maintained.

Leghari recounted that the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had stated before the United Nations that Pakistan would sign the treaty by September 1999, pleading that the coercive atmosphere against it be removed. He also delinked our decision from India's. However subsequent secret diplomacy conducted through the former prime minister's brother, Shahbaz Sharif, sent wrong signals to the world powers that their regime was not only willing to sign the CTBT but even to agree to FMCT parameters before that treaty could even be concluded in return for external support for the perpetuation in power of the Sharifs. Thus the greed for personalised fascistic power prevented Pakistan from negotiating on favourable terms with the world powers, Leghari added.

He said that the Millat Party believes that while considering the issue of CTBT, the government must take into account the factors such as Pakistan must clearly and unequivocally obtain the assurance that there shall be no pressure on us to roll back our nuclear programme. The US must grant Pakistan exactly the same terms vis- a- vis the CTBT and nuclear issue as that of India. This includes cold testing, sub-critical laboratory testing, lifting of bans on specialised computers, equipment and other forms of knowledge transfer. This also includes any commitment that may be given on induction into the Security Council, he added.

Leghari stressed that Pakistan must not and cannot delink its decisions from India's, especially in the light of new nuclear doctrine.

Pakistan's nuclear scientists directly involved in the programme must be allowed to give their objective opinion on the data obtained from our tests and their views must be taken into account, said Leghari.