_akhbar.jpg)
Islamabad : Speakers at a memorial reference paid glowing tribute to former Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Parvez Butt, describing him as a "silent hero" whose professionalism and lifelong dedication played a pivotal role in strengthening Pakistan's nuclear programme.
The reference, organised in the federal capital by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, drew a distinguished gathering of Parvez Butt's family, former directors general of the Strategic Plans Division, senior nuclear scientists, engineers, technicians, colleagues and admirers from across the country.
Delivering the keynote address, Senator Mushahid described Parvez Butt as a highly competent professional with a "lifelong commitment to the nuclear programme," saying he remained a "Silent Hero" because "he did not believe in any self-projection or publicity, given his top-quality professionalism."
Calling Pakistan's nuclear programme an "amazing Pakistan success story," Senator Mushahid said five personalities laid its foundations without whose contributions the country would never have become a nuclear power.
He named former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as the architect of the programme, former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who headed the committee overseeing the project from 1975 to 1993, former president General Ziaul Haq for pursuing it during his tenure, and scientists Dr A.Q. Khan and Munir Ahmad Khan, who served as PAEC chairman from 1972 to 1992. He added that five key scientists ensured the uninterrupted execution of decisions relating to the programme, including former PAEC chairmen Parvez Butt and Dr Ashfaq Ahmad, both of whom were members of the team that selected the Chagai site for Pakistan's nuclear tests in 1979.
Recalling historical episodes, Senator Mushahid said then US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance warned Pakistan's foreign minister Agha Shahi in October 1979 that, "Mr. Foreign Minister, you are entering the Valley of Death by trying to build the bomb, which the United States will never allow."
He also recounted that when former US Congressman Stephen Solarz threatened sanctions over Pakistan's nuclear programme, then PAEC Chairman Munir Ahmad Khan responded that such a policy could undermine Pakistan's support for the United States regarding the Afghan Mujahideen, after which, he said, Washington backed off.
Senator Mushahid further referred to remarks made by former Indian National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, who stated in a speech in New Delhi on August 31, 2012, that "on at least three occasions before 1998" the nuclear factor had influenced Indian policy. According to Senator Mushahid, this had altered India's plans to launch aggression against Pakistan. PAEC Chairman Dr Raza Ali Anwar described Parvez Butt as a mentor to generations of nuclear scientists and engineers, saying he was a role model who led by example. Senior journalist Hamid Mir said Parvez Butt and his colleagues devoted their lives to making Pakistan's security impregnable and that their services would be remembered "in golden letters" by the nation.
Paying a personal tribute, Parvez Butt's daughter, Dr Shazdeh Butt, remembered him as an exemplary father, husband and grandfather who successfully balanced family life with an unwavering commitment to his professional responsibilities.
The memorial reference was chaired by Dr Akram Sheikh, who praised Parvez Butt's professionalism, competence and dedication to building Pakistan's nuclear deterrent, describing him as a "gem of a person" to whom the country owed a great deal.
