Islamabad: Analysts view the visit of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to
China this week as an attempt by the Pakistani leadership to look beyond the
United States in its international relations.
Leading the Pakistani delegation Musharraf is scheduled to attend Shanghai
Co-operation Organisation (SCO) meeting on June 15. Pakistan, India, Iran, and
Mongolia, has observer status at the SCO, a group that brings together China,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Besides discussing a range of bilateral issues, during the visit, Musharraf
is likely to push for Chinese investment and other assistance in the building of
two more nuclear power plants of 300 megawatts each, The News reported.
Musharraf has been keen on concluding a deal with China on the lines of
Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, ever since it became clear that
that US would not extend same kind of offer to Islamabad.
Beijing and Islamabad signed a "framework agreement" on energy cooperation
during Musharraf's visit to Beijing in February.
With the help of China, Pakistan has built Chashma-I and Chashma-II, each
with a capacity for generating 300 megawatts of nuclear power and both based on
a Chinese prototype. Chashma-I has been in operation since 2000 and construction
of the second, which began recently, is expected to take five or six years.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had said during the 55th celebrations of
Pakistan-China relations last month that the two countries were working at
enhancing cooperation in the field of "nuclear energy for peaceful purposes
under international safeguards — for the production of electricity"
Pakistan is also seeking Chinese assistance in developing its oil and gas
sector by pushing the idea of oil and gas pipelines from Gwadar in Balochistan
to western China.
On the sidelines of the SCO, Musharraf is also expected to hold bilateral
meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai invited as a special guest to the SCO meeting
would give an opportunity to Musharraf to meet him. Musharraf was unable to meet
the Afghan leader earlier this year during his visit to
Pakistan.
