ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf came under fire in the Senate on Wednesday for his recent remarks about alleged nuclear proliferation by Dr A.Q. Khan.

The issue was raised in thehouse by PML-N lawmaker Saleem Zia, who described the remarks as irresponsible and damaging.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani questioned the timing of Gen Musharraf`s statement, pointing out that claims had been made days after US President Donald Trump hurled serious allegations at Pakistan.

`Had the remarks been made by a civilian, he would have been in the dock,` he remarked.

He observed that the matter could be discussed in camera in the committee of the whole, deliberating on the matters concerning national security.

In an interview which appeared in the press on Wednesday, Gen Musharraf claimed that Dr Khan was involved in nuclear proliferationthrough a Sri Lankan front man who acted as a double agent.

He said the then CIA chief during his visit to the US showed him `irrefutable evidence` against Dr Khan, for his involvement in a deal of nuclear proliferation to Iran. Gen Musharraf claimed that after he confronted Dr Khan upon returning from the US, the scientist `knelt` before him and sought forgiveness.

Gen Musharraf said that the then president George Bush had asked him to hold a meeting with the then CIA chief George Tenet, saying it was very important.

The former dictator said that he had never been more embarrassed in his life than when Mr Tenet showed him the `irrefutable evidence`.Answering a question about why Pakistan`s intelligence agencies could not find out the `hole in the boat` before the US, Gen Musharraf said that being an autonomous body, Khan Research Laboratories had its own security and it was completely cut off from agencies.

He denied claims that he had provided Dr Khan a speech to read out to the nation.

Gen Musharraf said Dr Khan`s picture was among the photos that Mr Bush had showed to him about the nuclear deal taking place.

Taking part in the Senate debate, Farhatullah Babar said `the proliferation issue had become dormant. But suddenly, by waking the sleeping dog Musharraf had only encouraged the international community torenew its call for inquiry into nuclear proliferation and decline nuclear cooperation with Pakistan.

He said that everyone knew that A.Q. Khan could not have taken huge centrifuge machines and other nuclear materials on his shoulders without being noticed. This feat could not have been performed by one individual without team work, he said.

Gen Musharraf`s interview has lent added force to the charges of proliferation against Pakistan.

`It has gravely undermined Pakistan`s case for equal treatment with India in matters nuclear. Now the world will say that proliferators of nuclear weapons cannot be trusted even with cooperation in peaceful nuclear technology.` He asked the government to take appropriate measures to contain the damage done by Gen Musharraf`s latest statement.

Former interior minister Rehman Malik called for summoning an in-camera session of the house. He said he had details about who were involved in this nuclear deal. He said he had investigated the matter and interacted with Dr Khan and the military establishment and would be able to give some documents to the house in the in-camera session.

The chairman said the Committee of the Whole House would look into the matter.

The house also took up the issue of enforced disappearances. `I have to say this with sorrow that parliament had failed to resolve the issue of missing persons,` Mr Rabbaniremarked.

He said the parliament and the judiciary had failed to cut to size the `state within the state` and address the phenomenon of enforced disappearances and this was a very unfortunate situation.

Reminding the house that it was the international day of the disappeared,FarhatullahBabarexpressed grave concern that citizens continued to vanish without a trace and called for the implementation of the December 2016 report of the Senate Committee of the Whole suggesting a way forward.

He said that till today not a single person had been held accountable for this crime against the law, the Constitution and human rights. `The impunity with which the perpetrators of enforced disappearance get away is frightening and bodes ill for the federation,` he said.He said that the state`s apathy towards the victims and their families was causing a huge chasm between the state and society thus creating space which the extremists were eager to fill. He said that the guidelines given by the Supreme Court, the parliament and the Commission on Enforced Disappearances had been ignored.

`It only means that the perpetrators are more powerful than all these institutions put together.

Mr Babar said that the misuse of the Cyber Crimes Act by the state had further aggravated the issue.

Bloggers and journalists who venture to articulate alternative narratives of national security were made to disappear while the militants and extremist organisations f reely propagated hate speeches and extremist views, he said and called for criminalising enforced disappearances.