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Bush visited Pak to eat and rest: Pak media

They claimed that USA did not want a deal with Pak, and therefore made an excuse saying that the two neighbours had different histories and needs.

Updated on: Mar 06, 2006 01:57 PM IST
None | By , Islamabad
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Pakistani media are upset with the outcome of US President Bush's visit to their country, and they are quite open about it.

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According to them, President Bush visited Pakistan only as a balancing act as he had visited India as well.

Not to be left behind, the Opposition parties also flayed the Bush visit, saying that it did not bring any tangible gains on the Kashmir issue or nuclear energy or defence.

The media were stated to have been saying that India "interests the US" while "Pakistan worries it".

"President Bush alone knows exactly why he visited Pakistan. But Pakistanis generally feel that he has not even given a lollipop to Pakistan. No resolution of the Kashmir dispute, no roadmap to democracy, no appreciation of Pakistan's energy needs and no attempts to cool down tempers over the blasphemous cartoons," a local daily said.

They claimed that USA did not want a nuclear deal with Pakistan, and therefore made an excuse saying that India and Pakistan had different histories and needs.

Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, secretary general of six-party Islamist alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA), said Pakistan did not get anything from Bush.

"Bush was here for night stay and rest. The American President only attended a banquet hosted in his honour by President Pervez Musharraf and returned," he said.

Benazir Bhutto, on the other hand, appreciated Bush's refusal to extend civilian nuclear cooperation to Pakistan.

She believed it was a clear reminder that peoples' power mattered more than that of the military and welcomed the USA's call for "open and honest" elections in 2007.

Chairman of the alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that the basic purpose of Bush's visit was to step up operations against Al-Qaeda and to urge Pakistan to expedite the arrest of Osama bin Laden.

 
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