Mushahid hails Pervaiz Butt as a quiet pillar of Pakistan’s nuclear capability
ISLAMABAD (Staff Reporter): Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that remembering silent heroes and acknowledging the services of unsung national figures is the mark of a living nation, as he paid tribute to eminent nuclear engineer and scientist Pervaiz Butt, former chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
Pervaiz Butt, recipient of Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Sitara-i-Imtiaz, passed away last week. A special condolence reference was organised in Islamabad by the International Parliamentarians Congress in his memory, where speakers highlighted his vital contribution to Pakistan’s nuclear programme and described him as a “quiet hero”.
The reference was attended by a distinguished gathering comprising members of Pervaiz Butt’s family, friends, colleagues, admirers, former directors general of the Strategic Plans Division, which oversees the nuclear programme, as well as a large number of engineers, technical experts, scientists and people from different walks of life.
In his keynote address, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed described Pervaiz Butt as a dedicated and highly competent professional who had a lifelong association with the nuclear programme. He said Butt was a “quiet hero” of the bomb project because, despite his outstanding professional credentials, he did not believe in self-projection or publicity.
Mushahid Hussain said Pakistan’s nuclear capability was built through the services of major figures without whom the country could not have become a nuclear power. He named Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as the founder of the nuclear programme; President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who headed the committee that oversaw the bomb-making process from 1975 to 1993; and President General Ziaul Haq, who consistently and forcefully advanced the project during his presidency.
He also referred to two key scientists: Dr A Q Khan and Munir Ahmad Khan, the latter having served as PAEC chairman for 20 years from 1972 to 1992.
Senator Mushahid said five important scientists played a crucial role in ensuring uninterrupted implementation of decisions related to the bomb project. He said Pervaiz Butt and Dr Ishfaq Ahmad, both former PAEC chairmen, were among them and were part of the team that selected the Chagai site for nuclear tests in 1979.
The senator also recalled several episodes linked to the nuclear programme. He said that in October 1979, US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance had put pressure on Foreign Minister Agha Shahi and warned him: “Mr Foreign Minister! You are walking into the valley of death by trying to make a bomb, which the United States will never allow to happen.”
He mentioned another incident involving US Congressman Stephen Solarz, who threatened Pakistan with sanctions over its nuclear programme. According to Mushahid Hussain, PAEC chairman Munir Ahmad Khan responded firmly that such a policy could weaken Pakistan’s support for the United States regarding the Afghan Mujahideen, after which the US backed down.
Mushahid Hussain also referred to remarks by India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, who, in a speech in Delhi on August 31, 2012, complained that “on at least three occasions before 1998” the nuclear factor had influenced Indian policy. Mushahid added that this factor had altered Indian plans to launch aggression against Pakistan.
PAEC Chairman Dr Raza Ali Anwar, in his address, called Pervaiz Butt a mentor and guide for nuclear scientists and engineers working in the organisation. He said Butt was a true role model and a leader who always led by personal example.
Senior journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir said Pervaiz Butt had rightly been honoured as he and his colleagues devoted their lives to making Pakistan’s defence impregnable. He said the people of Pakistan would remember their services in golden words.
Pervaiz Butt’s daughter, Dr Shazda Butt, remembered her father as an exemplary father, husband and grandfather. She said he never allowed his professional responsibilities to dominate his family life and remained equally sincere on both fronts — as an outstanding family man and a highly dutiful professional.
The condolence reference was chaired by Dr Akram Sheikh, an old friend of Pervaiz Butt. He praised Butt’s professionalism, competence and perseverance in the successful development of Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent and described him as “a rare and fine human being”, saying Pakistan owed a great debt to such professionals.
The special condolence meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by Senator Sitara Ayaz, Secretary of the International Parliamentarians Congress.
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov, the High Commissioner of Rwanda and the Ambassador of Cuba were also present on the occasion.
