December 27, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 22, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan will continue to hold talks with the Bush administration on the issue of hardships faced by Pakistanis in the United States.

“I have talked with President Bush on the issue. The matter was also taken up with Secretary of State Colin Powell and we will keep engaging them on the issue,” he said late Tuesday night.

The president was speaking at the annual dinner meeting of the Pakistani Physicians’ Public Affairs Committee (PAK-PAC).

The representatives of PAK-PAC had drawn the president’s attention to the difficulties Pakistanis have been facing in the US in the wake of Sept 11 events.

Highlighting the economic performance of the government, he said that Pakistan now had foreign exchange reserves of over $9 billion while other economic indicators were also showing positive trends.

President Musharraf called for enhanced investment by the Pakistani Americans in the country and assured that the government would not commit any of the past mistakes, like the freezing of foreign currency accounts.

“Your money will be safe and it will not be misused,” he said.

President Pervez Musharraf said that the media would continue to enjoy freedom but regretted that some unfounded reports painted a bleak scenario despite unprecedented achievements of the country and damaged the image of the country on issues like the state of women in Pakistani society.—APP