ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has turned down suggestions by Washington to roll back its weapon oriented nuclear program and has declined to sign unilaterally the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
Islamabad’s position was conveyed to US Senator Larry Pressler during his meetings with the Federal Finance Minister Sartaz Aziz Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Siddique Khan Kanju and the Senate Chairman Wasim Sajjad.
Responding to questions at a press conference at the end of his two day visit to Pakistan Monday Pressler said he had not received any indication from Islamabad that
“It was willing to roll back its nuclear program. Pakistan he said should take oven steps to dismantle its nuclear weapon capability. The Bush administration would be in a position to issue the necessary certification under the Pressler Amendment only after Islamabad took such a measure. American economic and military assistance of over $560 million was suspended in October 1990 on the suspicion that Islamabad was going ahead with the process of acquiring a nuclear device. Pakistan has maintained that its nuclear program was only for peaceful purposes.
The US Senator said more amendments were in the offing later this month to enhance US relations with those countries which were not only reducing nuclear weapons but also cutting down their conventional weapons. He said there was considerable apprehension of the emerging Islamic bloc” possessing nuclear bombs and fears of growing Islamic fundamentalism. The new strategic group he said could get access to the warm water port in Karachi
He said there was no evidence that India had a nuclear bomb. Technical experts in the US had suggested that India had abandoned its program in this regard while Pakistan was going ahead with it he said. During his recent New Delhi visit the visiting US Senator had criticized Pakistan’s involvement in secessionist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. He was given a cold reception by Pakistani leaders. The customary calls on President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not materialize. Most of the Pakistani dailies today led its front page reports on the Pressler visit with the news of the President and the Prime Minister refusing to meet him Official sources however claimed that there were no scheduled meetings.
The English language daily quoted a western diplomat as saying that western governments had“concret evidence” to suspect Pakistan of nuclear program Reports from New Delhi had stated that Pressler had expressed serious concern over Pakistan aiding and abetting militants in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Siddque Khan Kanju termed as “wild and baseless” Indian charges of Islamabad’s involvement in militant activities in the two Indian Border States. About the evidence reportedly shown by India to Pressler in this regard Kanju told newsmen that Indian charges and claims were far from proof logic and reason. To query on the emergence of the so called fundamentalist Islamic confederation with a nuclear capability which could pose a threat to India Kanja maintained that Pakistan was pursuing a peaceful nuclear policy and such apprehensions were totally unfounded.
The US Sehator Larry Pressler Monday urged Pakistan to practical steps publicly 10 dismantle the country’s nuclear capability in order to put Pak US relations back on _ the track Addressing a press conference here the author of the Pressler Amendment under which US economic and military aid to Pakistan was suspended however made it clear that he was just a legislator and it was not his job to issue a nuclear waiver certificate.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 24, 1992
