960806

Qazi opens APC on CTBT

Nuclear power is

the only guarantee

for Pakistan's safety

LAHORE: Amir, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan, Senator Qazi Hussain Ahmed, has said that nuclear detterent is the only guarantee for Pakistan's security and stability, plus peace in the South-Asian region.

Opening the All Parties Conference (APC) convened by the Jamaat to evolve a strong joint strategy on "CTBT and Kashmir issues" to stop the government from signing the treaty against national interests, he said: "our arch-enemy, India, had exploded nuclear device in 1974". He said it had the capability of preparing 100 atomic bombs and had increased its defence budget up to 170 percent since 1989. He said India had deployed over seven lakh troops in held Kashmir and was directly threatening Neelum Valley in Azad Kashmir.

He opined that if India was hesitant to take army action against Pakistan, it was just because of Pakistan's nuclear capability.

"So, atomic programme is vital for our defence and we must not sign this treaty even if India signs it", he added.

The JI Amir said that the All Parties Conference had been called to press the government to adopt an independent and clear stance on CTBT.

1030 EXPLOSIONS

Qazi said that this conference would help in conveying the opinion of the nation and opposition. He said America had conducted 1030 explosions, Russia 715 and France 210 and China, Britain and India were in the same club.

He claimed that big powers had enough stock of ammunition to destroy the world 50 times. Ignoring all these countries, Pakistan was being pressurised only on the basis of reports that Pakistan might have nuclear capability, he added.

He said that nuclear technology was the key to development in the twenty-first century. He said that it was injustice that half the world had the nuclear capability while the other half was deprived of it. He said this treaty was only against Pakistan and Muslim Ummah, while Israel was being encouraged to develop its nuclear programme.

He said Pakistan's government had capped nuclear programme in 1989, "so it is feared that it may destroy it completely".

About Kashmir, he said that without Kashmir, independence of Pakistan was incomplete. He said plebiscite should be arranged according to the UN resolutions.

Representatives of as many as 24 religio-political parties of Pakistan, including host Jamaat-e-Islami attended the conference.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman) and Pakistan Muslim League (Junejo) did not turn up to attend this conference despite invitations.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was not invited in the APC as, according to Qazi Hussain Ahmed, "it has no clear stance on the CTBT issue".

Those who attended included Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and Sartaj Aziz of PML-N, K.M. Azhar and Sahibzada Mohammad Akram Shah of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (Noorani), Maulana Mohammad Hanif Tayyab, Sahibzada Fazle-Karim and Engineer Saleemullah Khan of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (Niazi), Maulana Samee-ul-Haq and Qazi Abdul Latif of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Samee-ul-Haq), Haji Abdur Razzaque (Markazi Jamiat Ahle-Hadith), Sahibzada Arif Salman Ropari of Jamaat Ahle-Hadith Pakistan, Mohammad Idrees Hashmi of Jamaat Ghurba-i-Ahle Hadith, Khudai Noor of Jamhoori Wattan Party, Azam Hoti of Awami National Party, Khawaja Saleem of Qaumi Mahaz-e-Azadi, Ajmal Dehlavi of Mohajir Qaumi Movement, Khawaja Izhar of Pakistan Democratic Party, Mowahid Hussain of Tehrik-e-Insaaf Pakistan, Gen (Retd.) Hameed Gul of Tehrik-e-Ittehad Pakistan, Ijaz-ul-Haq of Zia-ul-Haq Foundation, Abdur Rashid Turrabi of Jamaat-e-Islami, Azad Kashmir, Maulana Abdul Malik of Jamiat Ittehad-ul-Ulema, Pakistan, Pir Zakori Sharif of Ittehad-ul-Mashaikh Pakistan, Maulana Asfand Yar of Swad-e-Azam Ahle-Sunnah, Syed Ziaullah Shah Bokhari of Muttahid Jamiat Ahle-Hadith, Abdur Rashid Warraich of Hizb-ullah and Syed Zulfiqar Naqvi of Tehrik-e-Jafferia Pakistan.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed presided over the conference.-PPI