WASHINGTON, Nov 7: Top State Department official John Negroponte said on Wednesday continued engagement with Pakistan was the “only option” despite President Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of emergency rule.

“We cannot afford to return to our past estrangement,” Mr Negroponte told Congress, reaffirming President George W. Bush’s belief that Gen Musharraf had been an “indispensable” ally in the “war on terror”.

“Partnership with Pakistan and its people is the only option,” the deputy secretary of state added in prepared testimony to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.

The committee’s Democratic chairman, Tom Lantos, a strident advocate of democracy and human rights, credited Gen Musharraf with trying to reach out to the United States.

“He placed a call to me just yesterday and I find it noteworthy that in this time of crisis, that he’s seeking a dialogue both with the administration and the Congress,” Mr Lantos said.

“As we assess our relationship with Pakistan, we need to protect our vital, long-term interests in Pakistan by helping the Pakistani people ensure Pakistan’s progress toward democracy and civilian rule,” Mr Negroponte said.

He reaffirmed Mr Bush’s demands on President Musharraf, including that he resign his position as head of the army.

“But the president also pointed out that President Musharraf has been indispensable in the global war on terror, so indispensable that extremists and radicals have tried to assassinate him multiple times,” the official said.

While the State Department’s review of US aid is ongoing, Mr Negroponte also highlighted a number of financial programs that he argued needed to be sustained to buttress the anti-terror struggle.

Those included security and economic development programs in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

“Cutting these programs would send a negative signal to the people of Pakistan,” Mr Negroponte said.

“We cannot afford to have on-again, off-again interactions that characterised our relationship in the past,” Mr Negroponte said.

“Pakistan’s future is too vital to our interests and our national security to ignore or to downgrade.”—AFP