Says unlike Musharraf, we did not compromise on national interest over one telephone call
Lahore (Pakistan Point News – 28th May, 2018) Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif addressed a public gathering in Lahore on Saturday on the occasion of 20th Youm-e-Takbeer of Pakistan.
He said that it is 20th anniversary of nuclear explosions and my 75th hearing in NAB court. Maryam was in the court for four hours, he said.
“If I had to loot the money, US President Clinton had offered me $5 billion for not undergoing nuclear tests. The documents are present in the Foreign Office. He called me five times. The prime ministers of Britain, Japan, Australia and Canada asked me not to test atom bombs but I told them you have taken wrong idea of our honor. Our honor and our dignity has no price,” he said.
“Indian prime minister Vajpayee himself came to Pakistan. If we had not become a nuclear power, had he come to Pakistan?” Sharif asked.
He said that nobody can dare to attack Pakistan and this job was done by an elected prime minister, not a dictator or a martial law administrator. The foundation of nuclear tests was laid by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who was also an elected prime minister.
“When this elected prime minister was taking this decision, the people in the committee voiced concerns over sanctions. I took advice from Mushahid Hussain Syed. We were in Afghanistan then. I was informed of India’s five explosions. I made my intentions to conduct nuclear explosions as it was a matter of Pakistan’s honor and security. This cannot be compromised. I was told that a tunnel needs to be built which will take a month. I directed them to construct it within days. I want to pat the people who did this work in three days and Pakistan became a nuclear power on May 28, 1998,” Sharif further said.
“The US president had called me five times so I called him after the explosions and told him that it was a matter of our security. We cannot compromise on our dignity. The nation expects me to respond to the atomic explosions undertaken by India. He complimented me saying ‘Mr. Prime Minister, you played a straight bat.’ He became my friend then and played a role in Kargil War. This is called diplomacy. Unlike Musharraf, we did not compromise on national interest over one telephone call,” he added.
“We have become an atomic power and we were going to become an economic power,” he said.
The former prime minister said that he succeeded in ending load shedding and terrorism in the country and asked if he was punished for that?
“I was disqualified for taking salary from my son. They even called me a traitor. You know that it was unfair to me. Only you can undo it, only you can reject these decisions. July 25 is not that far. Everything can be changed. We will change the fate of Pakistan,” he said.
