WASHINGTON, April 23 (UPI) -- A political change in the United States will not affect Pakistan's relationship with America, says Pakistan's Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.
Aziz, who is in Washington to attend the World Bank spring meetings, told a group of concerned Pakistanis that the U.S.-Pakistan relations were based on mutual national interests and not personal friendship.
Many in Pakistan disagree with his assertion. They see the ties more as a reflection of a personal friendship between President George W. Bush and President Pervez Musharraf and say that if Bush is not re-elected, the new administration will dump Pakistan.
Aziz rejected the assumption. "The relationship is in the interest of both the countries and not just a personal thing between two people," he said. "National interests of both the countries will drive the future relationship."
Pakistan became a close U.S. ally after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when Musharraf abandoned Pakistan's former Taliban ally and joined the U.S.-led war on terror.
Earlier this week, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said his country would also send troops to Iraq if an international peace force is set up under the U.N. umbrella.
