As senators on Wednesday praised the recent test firing
of Shaheen-II, Senator Lt Gen (r) Javed Ashraf Qazi, ex-Inter-Services
Intelligence chief, credited former prime minister Benazir
Bhutto for initiating Pakistan’s indigenous missile
programme.
“It is true that
every successive government backed the nuclear and missile
programmes, but let the credit be given to the one who
deserves it. The first missile was purchased by Ms Bhutto
to start our indigenous production,” he told the
Senate. The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
(SUPARCO) was given the task to develop the missiles with
indigenous technology, he said, adding that however, SUPARCO
failed to fulfil the job it was assigned.
He said that in 1994 –
Ms Bhutto’s second tenure - the missile production
task was taken back from SUPARCO. The liquid fuel missile
production was given to Khan Research Laboratories (KRL),
while the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was
assigned to produce solid fuel missiles, Mr Qazi added.
He told the house that in order to avoid overlapping,
President Pervez Musharraf formed the National Engineering
and Scientific Commission (NESCOM). He said progress in
the missiles’ production had never been so remarkable
as it was during the last four years.
Refusing to give full credit
to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for conducting the
nuclear tests, he said it was Indian tests that forced
the Pakistani government to respond in the same manner.
He criticised Mr Sharif for lowering the budget for scientific
research. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Parliamentary leader
Ishaq Dar asked why had Mr Qazi not resigned when the
science budget was reduced. Mr Dar told the house that
Mr Qazi at that time was the federal science and technology
secretary. It was Mr Qazi’s incompetence for failing
to convince Mr Nawaz to increase the budget for scientific
research, he added.
Mr Qazi said Senator Ishaq
should have resigned when the “Qarz Utaro Mulk Sanwaro”
(Repay loans to prosper) scheme failed and the foreign
accounts of Pakistanis were frozen. Meanwhile, opposition
senators criticised the recent purchase of infected wheat
from an Australian firm. They blamed the government for
being incompetent and lacked any proper agriculture policy.
They also condemned the government for the wheat shortage
in Pakistan. Federal Agriculture Minister Yar Muhammad
Rind and Federal Information Technology Minister Awais
Leghari told the house that the Australian wheat was found
infected after it got to Pakistan. They said the government
refused to accept the wheat after having the commodity
tested in laboratories.
Online adds: Senate Chairman
Muhammadmian Somroo on Wednesday night prorogued the Senate
session after the house completed debate on the president’s
address and National Education Policy.
