US wants lasting strategic relationship with Pak

Boucher, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, made his first visit to Pak since his appointment.

Top US diplomat Richard Boucher told Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday that Washington wants a lasting strategic relationship with Islamabad, officials said.

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Boucher, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, made his first visit to Pakistan since he was appointed to the key post.

"US was committed to seeking a broader and lasting strategic relationship with Pakistan," Boucher told Musharraf, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Musharraf briefed the US diplomat on Pakistan's economic growth and said the country's expanding energy needs would be met through a variety of sources including nuclear power, the statement said.

Pakistan, a key US ally in the so-called global "war on terror," has reacted strongly to the recent US civil nuclear deal with its arch-rival India and has demanded equal treatment by Washington.

The official statement did not say whether Musharraf raised the issue during talks with Boucher.

The statement said Musharraf told Boucher that Pakistan was making "all possible efforts to promote security along the Afghan border" and securing the border was a joint responsibility.

Afghan and US officials have repeatedly said that the rugged tribal areas of Pakistan are being used by Taliban and other Islamic fighters to launch attacks on US-led coalition and Afghan troops across the porous frontier.