Bush says he will go ahead with visit to Pakistan

New Delhi, Mar 2: US President George W Bush today said the car blast in Karachi would not prevent him from going to Pakistan.

One American national was among the five people killed in the bombing outside the US Consulate and the Marriot Hotel this morning.

''I have been briefed on the bombing. We have lost at least one US citizen, a foreign service officer,'' Mr Bush said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

''The bombing in Karachi is not going to prevent me from going to Pakistan,'' he said.

The Karachi bombing this morning is an indication that the war on terror was on, he said emphasising that India, Pakistan and the US ''must come together'' to fight terrorism.

Mr Bush will visit Pakistan at the end of his three-day visit to India.

Mr Bush said he would discuss with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf the issue of terrorism. ''After all he has a direct stake in this fight. Four times the terrorists have tried to kill him.''

UNI