Prevez Musharraf

Islamabad, Nov. 4: Pakistan today was clearly upbeat over the re-election of George W. Bush as the new US President.

President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz hoped the re-election would further strengthen Pakistan-US partnership in diverse areas.

In his message, Musharraf, who developed a close rapport with Bush being a close ally in the war against terrorism, said he hoped Bush?s re-election would further strengthen Pakistan-US relations.

?We hope that relations between the two countries will further strengthen with your (George W. Bush?s re-election),? Musharraf said.

In his message, Shaukat Aziz said Bush?s re-election would go a long way in fostering a partnership in all areas between the two countries.

Commenting on the Republican victory in the US elections, Pakistani foreign minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said: ?Bush?s re-election will ensure continuity in the US policy in the region particularly Pakistan?.

He said Pakistan government had developed a certain level of trust with the Bush administration on various issues including nuclear non-proliferation and Afghanistan.

He was confident that cooperation between the two countries in the defence sector would also strengthen.

However, Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said Musharraf desperately wanted to see Bush romp back to the White House.

?By following the diktat from Washington, Musharraf has extremely annoyed the Pakistanis and that is why Musharraf would keep looking up to Washington for political survival at home,? PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said. Most Opposition parties have announced that , despite US support for the Pakistani president, they would begin an anti-Musharraf campaign after Ramazan to force him to step down as army chief.

The Pakistan parliament has already passed a legislation allowing Musharraf to hold both the presidency and army chief?s posts beyond December 31, 2004.

The Opposition, however, boycotted the vote and termed the legislation as ?black law?. Bush?s re-election takes place at a time when Musharraf is looking for support to bail him out of the army chief crisis.

Hu?s message

Chinese President Hu Jintao says he is looking forward to working with Bush and developing a relationship between the two Asia-Pacific giants.

In a brief message, Hu congratulated Bush and lauded progress in ties between the world?s most populous country and its only superpower.

?Since Bush assumed the presidency, China and the US have made progress in cooperation in various fields, bringing substantial benefits to both countries,,? Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying.