Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on September 21 said his address to the UN General Assembly would focus on terrorism, especially on the misconception that Islam was a religion "believing in extremism".

In brief comments to the media before he left on a week-long tour to New York and Canada, Musharraf said his speech on September 24 would also highlight the "way forward" to resolve the crisis faced by the whole world due to extremism and militancy.

"Basically, the issue of terrorism and the issue of blame that is being cast on Islam as a religion believing in extremism and also the way forward to resolve the crisis faced by the whole world in the form of extremism and militancy will be focus this time," he said.

For the past three years, Musharraf has focussed mainly on Kashmir and Indo-Pak relations in his UN addresses. Officials said that this year too, he would touch upon the slow pace of normalisation of ties between India and Pakistan and reiterate Pakistan's allegations that India was delaying resumption of talks on Kashmir.

Musharraf is being accompanied by his wife Begum Sehba Musharraf, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, besides other officials. Apart from addressing the UN General Assembly, Musharraf is scheduled to meet US President George W Bush on Sept 24.

PTI