US President George W Bush said on Saturday he was convinced of President Pervez Musharraf's commitment to the "war on terror" despite the violence and presence of militants in the country.
Bush also said promoting democracy figured in his talks with Musharraf. "Part of my mission today was to determine whether or not the president is as committed as he has been in the past to bringing these terrorists to justice, and he is," Bush told a news conference with Musharraf.
Musharraf said his intention to defeat terrorism was clear but "if at all there are slippages" in the effort, it was in implementation of the joint strategy.
Bush said Musharraf understood the importance of democracy, prosperity and better education in defeating militancy.
To help Musharraf show the benefits of good US ties, Bush said a bilateral investment treaty was in the works.
"The best way for Kashmir issue to be resolved is for the leaders of both India and Pakistan to step up and lead. That's exactly what President Musharraf has done and that's what Prime Minister Singh has assured me he wants to do," Bush said. Referring to a suicide car bomb in Karachi on Thursday, Bush said: "We're not going to back down in the face of these killers. We'll fight this war, and we will win this war together."
The US president urged his Pakistani counterpart to hold "open and honest" elections in 2007 and told him that democracy was the way to defeat terrorism.
Bush said that they spent "a lot of time discussing democracy in Pakistan, and I believe democracy is Pakistan's future."
He said the elections scheduled for 2007 would be a great opportunity for Pakistan to strengthen democracy that would provide an alternative to radicalism.
"The president (Musharraf) understands that these elections need to be open and honest."
"Beyond 2007, this is an issue that has to be addressed according to the constitution of Pakistan. I will never violate the constitution," Musharraf told the press conference. President Musharraf said his government has introduced essence of democracy in the country by empowering the people at the grassroots level.
"The People of Pakistan have been empowered financially, politically and administratively through local government system - and that is the essence of democracy."
Musharraf also referred to empowerment of women and minorities and freedom of media, freedom of expression, and said these have brought unprecedented democracy to the country.
Bush said he had no objections to a proposed pipeline to supply Iranian natural gas to India and Pakistan, signalling a change in Washington's position on the controversial project.
However, he indicated that the United States was unlikely to agree a civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan like it had with India.
Musharraf had raised the possibility of the United States forging a similar deal with Pakistan during their talks. "We discussed the civilian nuclear programme and I explained to him that Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and different histories," Bush said.
The US president said Musharraf raised the need for Pakistan to secure a natural gas supply from the region to fuel its growing economy.
"He explained to me the natural gas situation here in this country. We understand the need to get natural gas in the region, that's fine," Bush said. The US leader said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman would arrive in Islamabad soon to hold discussions on the joint energy programme.
The US president then flew out of Pakistan aboard Air Force One for the return trip to Washington.
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