LAHORE, Feb 22: The European Union is keenly watching the democratic process in Pakistan, says German deputy chief of mission Christoph Sander. He was talking to politicians at a meeting arranged by Awami Qiadat Party's Mohammad Mahdi here on Saturday evening.

He said future relations of Islamabad with the EU depended upon the level of democracy in the country. Mr Sander said no European state had discussed the nuclear issue with Pakistan authorities in bilateral talks. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was the sole player in this regard.

Chief Minister's Political Adviser Mowahid Husain said the forthcoming US elections would be a referendum on Mr Bush's Iraq policy. nuclear issue but ignored chiefs of parliamentary parties. Jamaat-i-Islami's Amirul Azeem said that media and some NGOs were over projecting Hudood and blasphemy laws.