WASHINGTON, Feb 28: President George W. Bush, who has certified that Pakistan qualifies for receiving US financial assistance, faced considerable pressure from his ruling Republican party.

Several powerful lawmakers in his party wanted him to take some punitive action against Pakistan because of the involvement of Pakistani scientists in exporting nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

"Weapons of mass destruction are moving around the world today like nothing we could have believed. We have a guy in Pakistan that, 10 years ago, if you would have found him selling that stuff", he would have been severely punished, said Senator Pete V. Domenici, a Republican from New Mexico.

"I mean, can you imagine admitting that he put weapons of mass destruction in five countries, and we're still running around saying, 'Well, we don't know what to do about him'," said the senator.

Senator Don Nickles, another Republican from Oklahoma, who chaired the Senate Budget Committee Thursday when Powell announced the proposed assistance for Pakistan, criticized President Gen Pervez Musharraf for pardoning Dr A. Q. Khan.

"I don't see him (Dr Khan) being punished. And I'm concerned this one individual and maybe his collaboration of scientists evidently were spreading nuclear secrets throughout the world - you mentioned North Korea and Iran and Libya. It looks like he's getting off scot-free."

President Bush, however, chose to ignore such critics and certified that Pakistan is cooperating with the United States in the war against terrorism.

The decision paves the way for Pakistan to receive $700 million of financial assistance as a front-line state. The proposed assistance to Pakistan is included in a $5.7 billion package - the highest amount ever for that country - which Secretary of State Colin Powell presented before the Senate Budget Committee Thursday for assistance to countries that have joined the US-led war.

Major recipients of the aid include countries central to the Middle East peace process - Egypt, Israel and Jordan - and front-line states in the war on terrorism, including Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.