'Pak want N-deal similar to Indo-US Nuke deal'

London, Jul 25: Pakistan wants a deal similar to Indo-US nuclear deal. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that his country had no grudge against the Indo-US nuclear deal, but it would like to have a similar deal with Washington. "Pakistan is not against the deal, it only wanted a reciprocal US deal with Pakistan as well because our country is as much energy deficient as India and we are as responsible a nuclear power as India is," the Dawn quoted him as saying in London while participating in a seminar 'Imperatives for Peace and Prosperity in South Asia-Pakistan's Perspective'.

He said he favoured increased trade and economic relations with India and thought the fear among the Pakistani business circle that Indian economy would swamp that of Pakistan's once the doors were opened were now receding and they had now begun to realise that the two economies would benefit mutually by using their comparative advantages and complementarities.

About the complaints from the Afghanistan government that Islamabad was fanning terrorism in its territory, he said Pakistan was doing all that it could to control cross-border militancy. "We have deployed as many as 100,000 troops and nearly 1000 checkposts on the border but the other side has no significant deployment at the borders and no more than 100 checkposts. We proposed the use of biometric technology and the system of monitoring the vehicles which cross the border on daily basis, but so far the Afghan government has not agreed to these proposals," he said on the occasion.

The foreign minister began his maiden official visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 23 by holding substantive talks with British Opposition leader David Cameron at the House of Commons and later on Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears.

ANI