Washington: The United States has said that its military cooperation with Pakistan will remain an "important feature" in its relationship with Islamabad for "cultivating good relations with regional powers", apart from reasons relating to "war against terror".

Addressing a gathering at the National Endowment for Democracy, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte also said that US national security was more dependent on "the success, security and stability of Pakistan" now than it has ever been in the past.

Besides, he also clarified that the America's constant calling of President Pervez Musharraf as an indispensable ally in war against terror was actually a "shorthand" reference to "the nation of Pakistan" and that the bilateral cooperation was not "personalised" to the former army chief.

"I want to emphasise that military cooperation will remain an important feature of that partnership, for reasons related specifically to the war on terrorism and more generally, to the value of cultivating good relations with regional powers," Negroponte said.

"During the 1990s, the estrangement between America and Pakistan created a strategic disconnect between our two militaries.

A generation of United States and Pakistan military officers did not cooperate with one another as closely as they could have," the top US official said.

"So we are exploring ways to increase military exchange and training programmes to reengage with middle and senior ranking Pakistani officers, to give them experience working jointly with the US," he said.

Source : PTI