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We will never roll back n-programme: Musharraf

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, FEB. 21. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has said that his country would not roll back its nuclear programme.

Handing over the indigenously produced Hatf-III (Ghaznavi) ballistic missile system to the Army Strategic Force Command in Rawalpindi today, he said Pakistan's nuclear programme would never be compromised.

The solid fuel Ghaznavi, which has a range of 290 km, was successfully test-fired in 2002 and 2003. It now forms an integral part of the operational deterrence systems that also include the Shaheen series and Ghauri intermediate range missiles. Gen. Musharraf said that handing over these systems to the respective strategic missile groups amply demonstrated his Government's resolve to consolidate and strengthen the country's nuclear deterrence.

``Additional restructuring is being undertaken to modernise the security system around our strategic assets.'' The General said Pakistan fully shared international concerns on proliferation, and reiterated the country's resolve to curb any proliferation from its soil. Pakistan would continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in its end international proliferation networks.

While maintaining that Pakistan would never proliferate its nuclear technology to any country, he said ``What unfortunately happened in the past were individual actions, based on personal greed and gross misuse of autonomy and authority.

It was a betrayal of the nation's trust. It was compounded by an ineffective and inefficient security system.

These individuals were subverted from within. Nevertheless, this aberration too was checked when institutional arrangements were put in place in 2000,'' he said.

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