NEW YORK, May 29: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has asked the United States to increase economic and defence assistance for Pakistan’s newly-elected democratic government as part of “democracy dividend.”

In an interview with Wall Street Journal published on Thursday, Mr Gilani did not give any definitive answer on the status of President Pervez Musharraf saying he would let his party decide whether to try to force the president from office.

Mr Gilani said he would maintain a working relationship with Mr Musharraf for now.

“I have no problem working with him, but will go by the party’s decision.”

Making a case for increased US assistance, Mr Gilani said that further US assistance “will help deliver a democracy dividend to the people” after Pakistan held landmark elections for a new parliament in February.

He also said that aid was needed to help provide political and economic stability as the nation sought to fight terrorism.

The newspaper said that Mr Gilani didn’t specify how much further assistance Pakistan was seeking.

He made his case for further aid during a recent meeting in Egypt with President George Bush.

Mr Gilani said the use of military mean alone to try to stamp out militancy from Pakistan’s hinterlands would never bring peace. “We need to review our strategy to deal with the situation in the tribal region,” he said.

The WSJ pointed out that Western intelligence agencies contend that Pakistan’s tribal region had become a major operating centre for the Al Qaeda terrorist organisation and a launching pad for assaults on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s troops in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Mr Gilani told the WSJ that the government was talking only to the tribesmen who renounced violence and surrendered their weapons.