Musharraf belonged to anti-bomb lobby,Hashmi quotes Qadeer as saying

MULTAN: Senior politician Javed Hashmi said on Thursday that Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan once revealed to him that General Pervez Musharraf belonged to that lobby of the army that was opposed to making nuclear bomb and was ready to make compromises on it.

He condemned former president Pervez Musharraf’s recent interview regarding supplying nuclear material to North Korea was a huge conspiracy against Pakistan. Speaking at a press conference, Hashmi described Musharraf as a traitor who divulged information for his own publicity and said the timing of his interview was very alarming. He said Musharraf insulted Dr AQ Khan and, according to Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, wanted to hand him over to the US.

Recalling his past memories, Hashmi said AQ Khan informed him about the threat from the former dictator during an Iftar hosted by the Saudi ambassador in 2003 and stated that Musharraf had made his [AQ Khan’s] life miserable.

He claimed that former federal minister Mushahid Hussain and the then naval chief Abdul Aziz Khan were witness to the interaction. He praised AQ Khan, calling him a hero of the nation, who did great service for making the country an atomic power. The nation was capable of protecting AQ Khan as well as the atomic programme, Hashmi added.

He said all rulers sacrificed for the atomic programme and never divulged secret at any level. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he added, started the atomic programme and Zia ul Haq took it to its peak. He said Americans thought Benazir would shut down the N-programme but she not only refused rather also launched missile programme.

He said the US should remember that the Pakistani nation would teach it an appropriate lesson and it would forget the USSR. “Pakistan would grow stronger but the US will be divided soon," he said. Answering a question, he said Musharraf was responsible for Benazir Bhutto's murder as he refused to provide security to her. The former dictator was the main accused in the case and the army chief should bring him back to the country, Hashmi demanded. —