Mushahid's claims on Pak nuke tests campaign had no basis: Gohar

Lahore, Sep 1 (ANI): Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan has rejected statements made by PML-Q leader Mushahid Husain in which he claimed that he had spearheaded a campaign in favour of conducting nuclear tests in 1998.

Gohar said following India's nuclear tests, the then Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC), in its first meeting over the issue, had tasked the Foreign Ministry to interact with the media to find out what it thought about Pakistan following suit, adding that Mushahid's claims had "no basis".

He said he stood by his statement that Mushahid had opposed conducting the nuclear tests in the meeting.

"My memory is intact, but the same cannot be said of the sudden bouts of selective amnesia Mushahid Hussain Syed has contracted," the Daily Times quoted Gohar, as saying.

Gohar also negated then Interior Minister Sartaj Aziz's statement that then premier Nawaz Sharif was determined to carry out the nuclear tests right from the beginning.

He said in his opening statement in the second DCC meeting, Nawaz said he did not favour conducting nuclear tests and had asked for the opinion of DCC members.

When the DCC had unanimously supported conducting nuclear tests, Gohar said Nawaz had said, "Don't misunderstand me, I am with you."

"The go-ahead for conducting the nuclear tests was subsequently finalised," he said. (ANI)