Only democratic government can take bold steps like nuclear tests: Hashmi

PML-N leader Javed Hashmi has said that only a democratic leader can dare to conduct nuclear tests as no Pakistani leader was daring to transform Pakistan into a declared nuclear state by conducting nuclear tests despite having capabilities in 1984.
Talking to a private TV channel he said that Z A Bhutto accepted the biggest challenge posed by the international forces by beginning and launching nuclear programme, as Pakistan was feeling insecurity after being divided into two in 1971.
He said that Nawaz Sharif consulted with party leaders keeping in view the fate of Bhutto prior to conducting the nuclear tests as he was also frightened by his close colleagues and party leaders that he would have to face the consequences for conducting the nuclear tests against the wishes of the international forces. Nawaz was of the opinion that Pakistan would never get an opportunity to conduct the tests, for centuries to come, if Pakistan lost the opportunity, he added.
He said, "We should keep in mind that every undemocratic government compromised on the interests of Pakistan as we lost our rivers in the period of Ayub Khan. The country was divided into two in Yahya Khan's time, and Siachen during the Zia-ul-Haq era." The international planners prefer dictatorship in Pakistan prior to articulating any harmful plan against Pakistan as dictatorship is very easily controlled by them and even today the foreign forces are carrying out attacks in Pakistan freely as a dictator has allowed them, he claimed.
He said that Pakistan could only survive due to democracy and restoration of independent judiciary. The people, he said, have voted PML-N and PPP for their democratic roles and for the sake of federation and restoration of judiciary.
He termed the present coalition government as the government of the prisoners because Nawaz Sharif, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Asif Ali Zardari, he himself and several other leaders have been imprisoned for a long time and they were released with the pressure of the people and the judiciary. He said .now the common people, lawyers, civil society and media have come to the streets for the restoration of judiciary for the first time in the history.
"We are still part of the coalition and not parted our ways with PPP", he said, adding that PML-N wanted to provide support to the PPP government while being outside the cabinet. He said that PML-N would stick to its principled stance over the judges issue and would not compromise on it.