The government is summoning a joint session of parliament on Friday to discuss and get its approval on the issue, leading English daily The Nation said, claiming the decision in this regard was taken before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for London last night.

The paper also quoted a senior government official as saying that ``now it is not the question of if, but a question of when'' to sign the CTBT as the ``decision to sign the treaty has been made.''

He, however, said the government was apprehensive about a possible public backlash following clear warnings by religious parties, mainly Jamaat-e-Islami against signing the treaty.

Interestingly, US President Bill Clinton also spoke to Sharif over phone yesterday and discussed such issues like nuclear proliferation, according to reports from Washington.

The US imposed sanctions against Pakistan after Islamabad conducted nuclear tests in retaliation to Pokhran explosions in May.

Washington has been pressurising Pakistan to sign the treaty as early as possible and as per an earlier report the US authorities, who have already held four rounds of discussions with Pakistani officials since the nuclear blasts, had given Islamabad a deadline until September first week.

In fact, the government's decision to take the issue of CTBT to the parliament for discussion was taken at a cabinet meeting held on Monday and was part of its plan to sign it, the daily said.

Apparently, the government decided to go to the parliament knowing fully well that it had nearly two-thirds of majority in a joint session.

Opposition leader and former premier Benazir Bhutto has also supported the idea of Pakistan signing the treaty.

The Sharif Government, whch has been insisting on signing it only after India signed the CTBT, has also declared that it had delinked the issue from the Indian stand and would take a decision considering its own national interest.

The Nation

also quoted the official as saying that a strategic review, which Pakistan conducted in the wake of nuclear explosions, concluded that Pakistan had no strategic need to conduct more nuclear explosions -- the only prohibition that the CTBT imposes on its signatory.

The US has promised to support Pakistan for getting IMF loans and already four rounds of negotiations have been held with another round due for this month, provided Islamabad signed the treaty.