Himalayan News Service

Islamabad, March 21:

A powerful opposition grouping here claims that the Pakistan government may hand over father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb and disgraced scientist AQ Khan to the US. The claim was made by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed at a “million man march” organised by the group in Karachi yesterday, according to a report in Daily Times. The MMA, an alliance of six Islamist parties, also called President Pervez Musharraf a security threat to Pakistan.

Ahmed said Musharraf had compromised Pakistan’s nuclear programme, which acted as a deterrent against foreign aggression, and had made the country’s defence insecure. He also accused the president of “misguiding the nation under the pretext of enlightened moderation”.

He criticised Musharraf for supporting the US-led attack on and “occupation” of Afgha-nistan and accused him of failure to promote Islamic values and include the religion column in passports and allowing the Aga Khan Board, an NGO, to take over the country’s education system. MMA secretary general Fazlur Rehman said that the present government was blindly pursuing “US diktats” and this had damaged Pakistan’s image. He accused Musharraf of trampling on the constitution.