Stressing that the peace process between India and Pakistan must move forward, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said he supported the response given by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee's offer of a 'hand of friendship.'
"I'll support whatever decision the prime minister would take. This process [of peace] has to move forward," he told reporters in Lahore on Monday.
When asked about his own response to Vajpayee's offer, Musharraf said Jamali had already welcomed it.
About the speculation that US might target Pakistan after Iraq, Musharraf dismissed it as 'nonsense.'
"Those who say such things are not sincere. They should be ashamed of themselves. Pakistan is an important part of the Ummah [Muslim world] and a strategic ally of others. Those uttering such rubbish are not aware of our geo-strategic location. Pakistan will never be targetted."
Pakistan's hardline religious parties have speculated that the country could be emerging as next target of US, fearing that Washington might turn its attention to Pakistan to stem the strength of Islamic parties and control Islamabad's nuclear weapons from falling into extremists' hands.
