LAHORE - PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has said the world powers including the US and the UK had joined hands to prevent Pakistan from carrying out nuclear tests. There were offers of five billion dollars instantaneous aid and promises for more but I respected the popular sentiment and conducted nuclear tests. I was prepared for spontaneous reply to Indian blasts, but the delay of a few days was due to preparations, Nawaz Sharif said in an interview with the Waqt News TV channel on Wednesday night. If people were well set to give a befitting reply to India, I too, as an elected Prime Minister, had no other option but to follow suit, he said. He, however, admitted that freezing of foreign currency accounts at the time of blasts was his political blunder, saying that the step resulted in paucity of funds. If, instead of this, we had asked the nation for help, the nation would have sacrificed a lot, he added. Nawaz said there was no threat to nuclear programme because its command and control system was in very strong hands. He disclosed that the-then US President Bill Clinton, who had tried hard to stop Pakistan from conducting tests, later admired him for his courage and solidarity. The two-time former premier said Pakistans becoming a nuclear power had minimised the threat of war with India. He also disclosed that a year after the atomic blasts, he had requested Bill Clinton to dedicate only ten per cent of his priorities to the solution of Kashmir problem and he had agreed to that proposal but unluckily the incident of October 12, 1999 occurred and the matter kept hanging in the balance. He did not agree with the idea that he had been ousted from power for carrying out nuclear tests because the world had compromised with the situation. It was Musharrafs lust to come into power, he said. Stressing the importance of unity and solidarity, he said that all challenges could be faced and solution to all problems was possible if there was unity and oneness of thought and more than all the democracy was strong. Democracy is the thing that matters, no matter who becomes president and who becomes prime minister, he observed. He maintained that the APC on Swat operation was a positive step whereas he declared that the Balochistan situation alarming, saying that there should be an APC on Balochistan as well. The ex-PM held those, who had killed Nawab Akbar Bugti, responsible for Balochistan crisis, adding that Akbar Bugti was a great patriot. Nawaz further said those who had killed Bugti should be taken to task and there would be no peace in Balochistan until his (Bugti) murderers were captured. He emphasised that everyone should show responsibility and take stock of himself rather than finding fault with others. He opined that the Parliament should be independent and there should be no threat or fear of any sort hovering over it. He said the role played by the people on March 15 for change was unprecedented and he was fully prepared to play the same role again for the sake of a change. He said he was quite sanguine about the future and interests of the country as the people were well awake and fully aware of their duties.