THE U.S. CANNOT IGNORE PAKISTAN

US cannot ignore Pakistan now: Musharraf

NEW YORK: President General Pervez Musharraf has stated that United States cannot ignore Pakistan since the US has vital interests in the region.

He expressed these views on Monday evening in the Nixon Centre talking to American think tanks. Sources reported that president talked about how the Pak-US relations evolved from 1947 to the post-9/11. He spoke about the opinion of Pakistani government and the perceptions of common man about the United States.

President talked about his Camp David meeting and enlightened the audience on issues such as becoming a non-NATO ally, strategic relationship and the F-16 deal with the United States.
President stressed the importance of Pakistan and said that United States cannot ignore Pakistan since the US has vital interests in the region. China is also located in the region, therefore Pakistan’s importance cannot diminish. Thus, even if the war on terror ends, the US will stay in the region.

President called on the American investors to invest in Pakistan. Investment in the field of defence should be enhanced. He asserted that Pakistani also needs a civil nuclear energy deal as was concluded with India. The deal will be strictly for energy purposes.

President further said that the US should back the India-Pakistan peace process to expedite it.

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1) US cannot ignore Pakistan now: Musharraf