US again declines to treat Pak at par with India

Islamabad, Sep 15: The United States has once again declined to treat Pakistan at par with India on the issue of nuclear energy for civilian purposes.

The US side had made it clear that Pakistan and India could not be treated equally on the nuclear issue, and Islamabad should not insist on it, a source said.

The Dawn quoted sources as saying that during his talks in Islamabad, US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte advised Pakistani officials to meet their energy needs by importing electricity from Central Asian states.

He said that his country was ready to offer funds to help Pakistan import power from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan for which the Asian Development Bank also plans to offer 150 million dollars.

Sources said that the subject of nuclear energy figured prominently during Negroponte's meetings, the second round of 'strategic dialogue'.

The US said it could help Pakistan meet its rising energy needs through other means.

It also asked Pakistan to explore sources other than nuclear energy.

ANI
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