Washington: Coming down heavily on the Bush administration for its support to Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Human Rights Watch has accused Washington of overlooking human rights abuses in the country for Islamabad's co-operation in the war against terror in Afghanistan.

The United States, the New York-based group said in its annual global survey, is generating popular resentment in Pakistan by uncritically backing General Musharraf, who took power by deposing a democratically elected government in a bloodless coup in 1999.

Referring to the "excuse" given by President George W Bush for supporting the Pakistan President – "He (Musharraf) is still tight with us against terror, and that is what I appreciate" – Human Rights Watch noted that it was Musharraf, who last year pushed through constitutional amendments to extend his presidential term by five years and recently strengthened a draconian anti-terror decree.

"But Washington has so much power today that when it flouts human rights standards, it damages the human rights cause worldwide," Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch said.

It said governments continued highly repressive policies in China, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Liberia and Vietnam.

While criticising US for ignoring rights abuses by its other allies in the anti terror campaign such as Afghan warlords and Saudi Arabia, the 558-page report identified positive trends such as the peace talks in Sri Lanka, the formal end to wars in Angola, Sudan and Sierra Leone.

Among negative developments, it listed the outbreak of communal violence in Gujarat and the continued killing of civilians in wars in Colombia, Chechnya, Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

PTI