Pakistani Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid
said Wednesday Islamabad would continue to have friendly relations with the
United States no matter who became the next US president, according to the
official Associated Press of Pakistan.
Speaking at an Iftar dinner hosted by him in honor of senior journalists in
Lahore, capital of Punjab province, Rashid also expressed the hope that the
Kashmir and Palestine issues would be resolved, should US President George Bush
win the second term.
He said although the Muslim world faced problems during the first tenure of
President Bush, it was hoped that during his second term problems confronting
the world including those facing the Muslim Ummah would be resolved.
Talking about the Kashmir dispute, Rashid said Kashmir was not just a dispute
between India and Pakistan but an issue of the entire world and it was high time
to resolve it.
"Courage, wisdom and foresightedness are required to take bold decisions for
resolving this issue and President (Pervez) Musharraf has these qualities while
the international community also wants its resolution," Rashid said.
He added that both India and Pakistan would have to show flexibility to
resolve the Kashmir issue, which has triggered two major wars between the two
neighbors since their partition in 1947.
