Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has described Benazir Bhutto's call for an independent commission to probe into incident of nuclear proliferation in Pakistan as the cry of a guilty conscience for it was during her prime minister-ship that enrichment of uranium was downgraded from 957 to 57. practically, rolling back the national nuclear programme.
In this connection, he recalled the TV interview of General Mirza Aslam Beg (Retd) in which he had admitted the downgrading of the nuclear programme during Benazir's tenure.
The minister said that findings of the investigation have established that no government in Pakistan or any institution under it was involved in the transfer of nuclear technology, adding it was an individual act by some scientists, who have now been laid off.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that Pakistan is fully conscious of its responsibilities, and the government has made fool-proof institutional arrangements in the form of the National Command Authority to prevent any nuclear proliferation in future.
The government, he said, has already conducted a thorough enquiry and those involved are being dealt with according to the law of the land.
The minister said the United States, some European countries and China have already appreciated Pakistan's prompt efforts to investigate acts of nuclear proliferation and take strong action against it.
Now the nuclear assets are completely safe with the National Command Authority, and the Strategic Planning Division under it, he added.
Responding to various reports published in foreign media, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the Pakistan's nuclear programme is an internal matter of Pakistan, and no other country has the right to get involved in it.
However, Pakistan will continue to co-operate with the international community in efforts to curb every kind of nuclear proliferation the world over, he added.
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