PM rules out dependence on single country

Date: 25 Jun 2003 21:23:48 -0700
Newsgroups: soc.culture.punjab,soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.bengali,soc.culture.pakistan
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PM rules out dependence on single country: Purchase of warplanes
By Nadeem Saeed
MULTAN, June 25: Pakistan will not depend on one country to fulfil its
security and defence needs, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali
said here on Wednesday.
He told a press conference that if the United States refused to give
F-16 fighter planes, the country would buy compatible planes from
other countries, including France.
He said the people had pinned high hopes on President Pervez
Musharraf's current visit to America. "People have yet to comprehend
the working of Gen Musharraf, which I have understood within a short
span of time."
The PM said America wanted a long-standing relationship with Pakistan,
and winning of an aid package of $3 billion was no less an
achievement. He recalled that the US had earlier waived $1 billion
debt.
To a question, he said his authority as chief executive of the country
was not eroded with Gen Musharraf conducting the high-profile foreign
trips. He said he knew that people raised the point that President
Musharraf did not include any member of his (premier's) cabinet in his
foreign tours "but they forget that Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz is
also a member of my cabinet".
He said it was more important to realize who could better plead the
country's case at a particular forum. He added that President
Musharraf had been in constant touch with the Bush administration over
the last three years. "On the other hand, I have not (even) seen Mr
Bush," the PM remarked. "Moreover, I am a Faqir Mansh (contented
man)".
He strongly dispelled rumours that Pakistan was about to accept Israel
as a state, saying: "It will not happen, nor will the country's atomic
programme be rolled back."
The prime minister said that a resumption of air and road links with
India had been decided in principle, and it was only a matter of time
before these decisions were implemented upon.
He said his government was ready to talk with the Indian leadership on
all issues, including the core issue of Kashmir.
He hinted at the possibility of the opposition being invited to
resolve the differences over the LFO issue after seeing the outcome of
the no-confidence motion against the speaker. He, however, made it
clear that the LFO had become part of the Constitution after the
speaker's ruling, and now the opposition would have to talk about
amendments to the Constitution.
He said if America decided to attack Iran his government would seek
public opinion as to how to deal with the situation.