JEDDAH, 2 June — The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) held a function at Shaheen Restaurant here on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of nuclear tests carried out by Pakistan.
The detonation of nuclear devices restored the strategic balance in the region that had been upset by Indian tests carried out earlier, said Ghulam Shabbir Shah, who presided at the function. He said the tests were the most effective deterrent that kept the enemy at bay. The defense of the country had become invincible, he said. Shah called for giving more incentives to overseas Pakistanis to restore their confidence in the military government which had been badly shattered after the previous government froze foreign currency accounts.
Sardar Rehmat Khan, the chief guest, called for more efforts to help the Kashmiris achieve their right to self-determination. He also urged Chief Executive Gen. Pervez Musharraf to organize the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis who are languishing in squalid camps in Bangladesh.
Another speaker, Akhter Hussain Mayo, called for adhering to the teachings of Qur’an and Sunnah and said Allah the Almighty has always protected Pakistan.
Ehsanul Haque, the PRC convener, said the untiring efforts of our scientists and successive governments made it possible for Pakistan to become a nuclear power. He said Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence ensured peace in South Asia.
He praised the bold stand taken by Gen. Musharraf’s government on Kashmir issue but regretted the indifferent attitude of the government toward stranded Pakistanis. He said the Pakistanis languishing in Bangladesh camps are those who rendered numerous sacrifices while backing Pakistan Army during the 1971 war. Ehsan called upon the government to arrange the repatriation of the stranded people as they were real patriots.
A number of resolutions were adopted calling on Pakistan government to set up a university to promote nuclear research and technology with Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan as its head.
The government was urged to investigate the bulldozing of over 150 shanties of stranded Pakistanis in a Dhaka camp through its high commissioner in Bangladesh and to protect the lives of Pakistanis there. Gen. Musharraf was also asked to reactivate the Rabita Trust and expedite the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis. Hamid Islam Hamid compered the program.
