Karachi: Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's recent visit to China will not affect Sino-Pak ties.

Addressing Air Force personnel at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base in Faisal near Karachi, Jamali said, "Pak-China friendship was not for just 10,000 hours but it is for millions and millions of hours."

The reference to the 10,000 hours was linked to the rolling out of the 10,000th engine of PAF aircraft at Pakistan's oldest air force base.

He said ties between Pakistan and China were time-tested and based on principles.

Jamali's reaction was in response to media reports highlighting the success of Vajpayee's six-day visit to China in June, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over a decade.

During the visit, a number of landmark bilateral agreements were signed between Beijing and New Delhi, including pacts to negotiate resolutions to the long pending border dispute between the two countries, recognition of the Tibet Autonomous Region as being part of China and improved trade and telecommunication agreements.

Praising the PAF for its achievements since the partition of the sub-continent in August 1947, Jamali said, "We have to improve our standards as today we are living in a world of specialisation and competition. We cannot come up to the expectations unless we develop our professional skills and acquire specialisation in the field."

A small ceremony was also held at which Group Captain Hamid handed over the certificate for the 10,000th engine to the air headquarters.

Air Officer Commanding of Pakistan's Southern Air Command, Air Vice Marshal Shahzad Aslam Chaudhry was also present.

ANI