Former president Muhammad Rafique Tarar has condemned the government's policies that according to him have disgraced the country in the international community. He said that the fate of Pakistani nuclear assets was uncertain. He was addressing a Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) public gathering on the occasion of Yaum-e-Takbeer, organised by a local party leader Mian Mahroob here on Saturday. The former president further said that although the government claims that the Pakistani nukes were in safe hands, but no one knows in whose hands. "It was pointless to keep nukes if we were to succumb to the foreign dictates," Rafique Tarar added.
He pointed out that it was unfortunate to celebrate Yaum-e-Takbeer in the absence of Nawaz Sharif, who resisted the US pressure and carried out nuclear tests. "Moreover, it was deplorable to see Dr A. Q. Khan being declared guilty for making Pakistan a nuclear country and in the process forcing him to apologise before the nation on TV," Tarar said.
The former president said the nuclear tests dramatically changed the aggressive behaviour of India towards Pakistan, which could be gauged by the fact that former Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee came to Lahore and accepted Pakistan's entity. "It was ironic to observe that the same General who refused to salute Indian PM Vajpayee, went to him to shake his hand in Nepal."
Tarar was of the view that the Indian government was taking the advantage of the present government's lean stand by killing innocent Kashmiris in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.
PML-N Punjab Chief Organiser Zulfiqar Khosa on the occasion said that the present government was weak and its political, economic and foreign policies have failed.
He also said that in the days of Nawaz Sharif government, and especially after May 28, 1998, the Pakistanis were respected in the international community and their delegations were welcomed, but since General Musharraf forcefully came into power we have lost that respect and every Pakistani had become a suspect in the eyes of the West.
While praising Nawaz Sharif for bringing pride among the Muslim world by detonating nuclear devises, Khosa said that the present government has brought nothing but disgrace to the country.