960403

Pakistan never

capped N-Plan,

says Aslam Beg

LAHORE: Former Chief of Army Staff General (Retd) Mirza Aslam Beg on Wednesday affirmed that Pakistan never capped its nuke plan and, if Benazir Bhutto and Ghulam Ishaq Khan admitted somewhere in the past of doing so, that was their own misconceptions.

Speaking a hurriedly called press conference here at his Awami Qiadat Party, Punjab Secretariat, he shrugged of the Opposition's demand for snap polls and said there was no need for holding mid-term elections before the stipulated time.

He said, holding of elections at this stage would in no way favour the country, except damaging democratic institutions. However, he said, if held, his party would fully participate in the mid-term elections.

Beg said: "Being a former chief of the army and a member of Nuclear Control Authority (NCA), knew much about the development of nuclear capability that Pakistan had. In early 90's, through my Press statements and oral clarifications, I endeavoured to eliminate all ambiguities regarding development of nuclear device by Pakistan".

When his attention was drawn towards an article published recently in Washington Post that CIA stole the blue print of Pakistan-made atom bomb, he said. "I am astonished over the appearance of the said news". He termed it as a conspiracy against Pakistan on the part of the American Investigation Agency (CIA) where three to four Hindu researchers are always busy in floating such type of fabricated stories to malign Pakistan internationally.

Responding to a question whether Pakistan had attained ultra modern nuclear technology for developing nuclear device, he said, "Pakistan has achieved this capability in 1987".

He said that Pakistan never supported nuclear arms race and always invited India for signing non-proliferation treaty (NPT). "If India continues to pile up conventional weapons, then how Pakistan can remain indifferent", he said to yet another question.

He described the Supreme Court's decision regarding appointment of judges as historic, and clarified that he did not think that Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice Sajjad Ali Shah would have consulted the Army Chief Jehangir Karamat before announcing the judgement.

To another query about the repeal of 8th amendment, Aslam Beg stressed for maintaining balance between the powers of the President and the Prime Minister.

When asked as to who was enjoying maximum power at present, "obviously Farooq Leghari" Beg replied.

Talking about the achievements of his Awami Qiadat Party (AQP) launched some ten months back, the retired general said that the party was formed on the basic concept of bringing silent revolution with the support of down-trodden, and that the party was in preliminary stages. "After completion of organisational matters, I would formally launch the party in 1997," Beg declared.

He claimed that about 65,000 to 70,000 workers have so far been registered with his party and hopefully the number would reach upto 100,000 by the end of this year.

"The party would take part in the forthcoming local bodies elections being held in December 1996," Beg said.

The AQP chief observed that the proposed reforms in both ways would benefit Peoples' Party. "It is a sane political decision which Benazir made to win the next elections", he added.

He supported the holding of elections of the national as well as provincial assembly on the same day because, in his view, holding of elections on two different days was a wastage of money.-PPI