President Pervez Musharraf has stated that though the recent US-Indian nuclear deal is a bilateral arrangement, but Pakistan should be treated on equal basis for maintaining geo-strategic balance in the region.
In an interview with 'China Central Television', telecast on Sunday, the President said that Pakistan "deals with the United States" bilaterally in accordance with its own interests.
"As far as US relationship with India is concerned," he said, "Pakistan wants that it should be treated at par with India as far as strategic capabilities are concerned."
He said Pakistan would not like anyone to treat it differently from India, "because we have the same status".
He observed that India and US have their own bilateral interests and Pakistan's relationship with the United States is totally different from that of US-India relations.
The President said that Pakistan-India composite dialogue was moving ahead on a right track, but not at the pace he was expecting.
He underscored that Pakistan-India composite dialogue needed to be focused on resolving the core issue of Kashmir. "Conflict resolution is all the more important for bringing normalcy in bilateral relations," he added.
Musharraf also spoke on Pakistan-India relations in an interview with 'China Daily', reiterating Islamabad's commitment to moving forward the peace process "in a meaningful way", aimed at addressing the Kashmir dispute.
He said he believed that the existing congenial environment provided a unique opportunity for the two countries to work for a solution of the Kashmir dispute for securing a lasting peace in South Asia.
In separate interviews with 'Phoenix TV', 'Dragon TV Shanghai' and 'China Radio International', he advocated Pakistan's desire for attaining full membership of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
"We are confident that our association with this important regional organization will contribute significantly to the implementation of the SCO charter that is meant to promote peace, security and development, particularly in the Asian region."
Pakistan's geo-strategic location makes its eminently suitable for development of inter-regional cooperation, he pointed out.
On Sino-Pak strategic partnership, Musharraf said, the time-tested and evergreen" relationship was being translated into economic gains.
About cooperation in the energy sector, he said because of its geo-strategic location, Pakistan could serve as an energy corridor for China.
The two countries, he said, have agreed to initiate studies to build oil and gas pipelines and transportation networks from Pakistani ports overland to China.
Regarding development of their trade ties, the President said he hoped that their negotiation for free trade agreement (FTA) would be completed by the end of this year, giving maximum tariff exemptions to their traders.
About Pakistan's fight against terrorism, the President said that peace could only be achieved by addressing political disputes, which are the root causes.
"So, we need to work for the resolution of political disputes and fight more vigorously against poverty, hunger and illiteracy." He said there was need to make serious efforts to address injustice, the sense of frustration and powerlessness.
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