Nawaz was unwilling for N-tests, claims Omar Ayub

ISLAMABAD: On the 27th anniversary of Pakistan’s nuclear tests, Youm-e-Takbeer, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub claimed on Wednesday that the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif was initially unwilling to go ahead with the nuclear tests, citing negotiations with the United States.

“May 28, 1998 was the day Nawaz Sharif’s legs were trembling. He had refused to conduct the nuclear tests and was negotiating a deal with the US administration to avoid going nuclear,” he said in a statement issued here.

Omar Ayub claimed that Nawaz Sharif was ultimately compelled to authorise the nuclear tests due to significant pressure from key figures within the government and national leadership.

“My late father Gohar Ayub Khan, the late Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the late Majeed Nizami, Raja Zafarul Haq, and Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, strongly advocated in the cabinet meeting for proceeding with the tests,” he claimed and noted that their firm stance left the cabinet with no choice but to agree.

Omar Ayub stated that Shehbaz Sharif himself had confided in his father that a deal was being discussed with the US government. “Shehbaz Sharif told my father that Nawaz Sharif was engaging in negotiations with the American president in return for not conducting the nuclear tests. My father responded by stating that Pakistan was fully prepared and must proceed,” he said.

Omar Ayub paid tribute to the efforts of those who ensured Pakistan’s defence and sovereignty by making the nation a declared nuclear power. “We remember and honour the patriots who stood firm in the national interest and safeguarded Pakistan’s strategic future,” he said.