No foreign access to Dr Qadeer, says PM

CHOTIZAIRIN—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday vowed that no one will be allowed to point a finger towards important national assets and said there is no question of handing over nuclear scientist Dr Qadeer Khan to anyone. Speaking at an Iftar dinner which the central PML leader and former president Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari hosted for him, Shaukat Aziz made it clear that no foreign forces would be allowed to conduct any operation inside Pakistan.
Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, Minister for Telecommunications and Information Technology Awais Ahmed Khan, Senator Jamal Ahmed Khan Leghari, MNAs and MPAs were also present at the reception. Shaukat Aziz said the nation was proud of its armed forces, who have always helped people at the time of emergency.
“We will never allow any one to defame our Armed Forces,” he said. The Prime Minister said the National Reconciliation Ordinance is aimed at ending politics of vendetta and vindictiveness. The ordinance, he added, is not one party or person specific as all political parties will benefit from it. “This is aimed at national reconciliation for the good of the nation and the country.” He said the PML and its allied parties would participate in the next general elections together and it would not form any electoral alliance with any other party. Shaukat Aziz said it is a historic moment when the assemblies and government are completing their tenure for the first time in 60 years.
The next elections, he added, would be held in the first half of January next year. He said due to the pro-poor and people friendly policies of the government, the PML and its allies would once again win the next elections. “We would continue to strive for the progress and prosperity of the motherland,” he added. He said due to prudent policies of President Musharraf and the PML government the country has plenty of resources which are being utilized for the well being of the nation.
The Prime Minister said the nation has all the capabilities to progress including skill, education and diligence. Pakistan has the potential to become a great nation and a great country and it is a fortress of the whole Islamic World, he observed. The Prime Minister paid tribute to President Pervez Musharraf who is toiling to lead the country to progress and development.
He said Pervez Musharraf has secured 57 percent votes in the presidential election which has proved his popularity and has ensured continuity of pragmatic policies that have paid good dividends. Shaukat Aziz said the economy has flourished as a result of sound policies.
He emphasized that to sustain the momentum of economic progress the nation has to overcome the menace of terrorism, which is a big hurdle in the way of development and prosperity.—Agencies