ISLAMABAD, March 20: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Monday said the visit of US President George W Bush to Pakistan was a success, but Islamabad had the right to disagree with the US policy of “discriminatory” attitude towards India and Pakistan.

Winding up a debate on the country’s foreign policy with particular reference to Mr Bush’s trip to Pakistan in the Senate, the foreign minister rejected the charges of opposition that the US president’s visit was a “total failure”.

“Mr Bush’s visit has helped deepening and strengthening the Pakistan-US relationship,” Mr Kasuri said. “Pakistan will not accept any discriminatory treatment,” he said, adding: “The US must have a package approach while dealing with India and Pakistan.”

Mr Kasuri said everyone knew prior to the visit of Mr Bush to South Asia that the US would sign a civil nuclear treaty with India while there was no such agreement on the agenda of Mr Bush in his visit to Islamabad. Therefore, he said, it was wrong to determine the success or failure of Mr Bush’s visit in this context.

The foreign minister said nuclear energy was important for Pakistan and Islamabad would continue to press the US and other countries for it. He said Pakistan had told the US about the amount of carbon dioxide the country would be emitting in 2030 that could spoil the environment of the whole world.

Mr Kasuri claimed that Mr Bush had been interested in signing a “Bilateral Investment Treaty” with Pakistan during his visit. He said Pakistan had not signed the agreement after some objections by a legal team. He said F-16 aircraft were the benchmark of Pakistan-US relationship. He said Pakistan would buy F-16s, but their number could be reviewed.

Mr Kasuri said US newspapers were projecting that the real purpose of Mr Bush’s visit to the region was to “contain” the rising power of China. He said the foreign policy was not just Mr Bush’s visit. He said Pakistan had good relationships with both China and the US. He said that today no one dared to ask Pakistan to roll back its nuclear programme.

He said Pakistan had not handed over Dr AQ Khan to any country despite great pressure.

The minister said Pakistan had conveyed its feelings to the US, European Union and the United Nations over the Iran’s nuclear issue. He said Iran was a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and they wanted it to observe it.

“We don’t want destabilization on our borders with Iran,” he said, adding: “We do not want a violent resolution of the Iran issue.”

The minister said Pakistan had never asked the US for mediation on the Kashmir issue. “We have asked the US and other countries only to facilitate on the issue,” he said, adding that Pakistan was a nuclear power and the eighth largest country in the world and no body could tell them as what to do. “We have got promise that Mr Bush will continue to take interest in the Kashmir issue,” he said.

Earlier, taking part in the debate, opposition leaders termed the US president’s visit to Pakistan a total failure and called for a review of the country’s foreign policy.

Initiating the debate, Prof Khurshid Ahmed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) regretted that there was no role of parliament and the cabinet in the formulation of the country’s foreign policy.

He said there was a link between the GHQ and Washington in the formulation of foreign policy. He also regretted that there was a parliamentary system in Pakistan, but Mr Bush had not talked to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during his visit.

Quoting a report of the US Air Force, the MMA senator said the US considered Pakistan an “uncertain partner” in the war against terrorism. He said the US newspapers were giving an impression that Pakistan was deceiving the US. He said Mr Bush’s visit had proved that the US had made India its strategic partner. He said if the US attacked Iran, then Pakistan would also be in danger.

Babar Awan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) said the democracy and foreign policy of Pakistan was hostage to one person. He said Gen Musharraf had been interested to save his uniform during Mr Bush’s visit.

PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said Pakistan had been put at stake in the war against terrorism. He said that they did not require any certificate from the US on the issue of democracy. He condemned Mr Bush’s remarks that the US supported Gen Musharraf’s vision of democracy.

Dilawar Abbas, Azam Swati, Liaqat Bangalzai, Jamal Leghari, Ismail Buledi, Sadia Abbasi, Salim Saifullah Khan, Rehmatullah Kakar, Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, Naeem Chattha, Prof Ibrahim and Maulana Saleh Shah also took part in the debate.

Later, deputy chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali read out prorogation orders of Gen Musharraf.