Monday, June 19 2006 14:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Although the Indo-US nuclear deal was a bilateral arrangement, Pakistan would not like anyone to 'treat it differently' from India as it has the same status, President Pervez Musharraf has said.

In an interview telecast yesterday in China Central Television, he said the Indo-US deal was a bilateral arrangement but Pakistan should be treated on equal basis for maintaining geo-strategic balance in the region, state-run APP news agency reported.

Pakistan would not like anyone to treat it differently from India, 'because we have the same status,' it quoted him as saying.

"Pakistan wants that it should be treated at par with India as far as stratgic capabilities are concerned," he said.

Musharraf said India and US have their own bilateral interests and Pakistan's relationship with Washington was totally different from that of US-India relations.

He also told the channel that the Indo-Pak composite dialogue was moving ahead on a right track, but not at the pace he was expecting.

The dialogue needed to be focused on resolving the Kashmir issue, he said adding conflict-resolution was all the more important for bringing normalcy in bilateral relations.

In a separate interview to China Daily, he said Islamabad was commited to move forward the peace process in a meaningful way aimed at addressing the Kashmir issue, adding the existing congenial environment provided a unique opportunity for the two countries to work for its solution.

Musharraf also expressed desire for full membership for Pakistan in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) whose summit he had attended in Shanghai last week.