TOKYO – President Asif Ali Zardari has said that since Japan is negotiating a deal with India to cooperate on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the similar cooperation should be extended to his country. “If Japan is willing to cooperate with India in nuclear technology and (is) giving nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, I do not see any reason why we should not deserve the same,” Zardari said in an interview with the Japanese media in Islamabad ahead of his departure for a three-day visit to Japan.
President Zardari recognizes that nuclear power is a sensitive issue for the Japanese people and government. Asked if Pakistan seeks to expand its nuclear arsenal, the president said his government does not want to see an arms race in the region and advocates a nuclear-free South Asia. During his visit to Japan, Zardari is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and meet with Japanese business leaders and companies doing business with Pakistan.
He said he will strive to make the people and government of Japan aware of Pakistan’s situation and the challenges it faces. President Zardari projected Pakistan as a destination for Japanese investment, calling on Japanese investors to make use of proposed economic zones in his country. He urged leading Japanese automakers with assembly plants in Pakistan, which exclusively cater to the local market, to export locally made vehicles to markets in Asia and Africa.
There is also great potential for bilateral cooperation in the services industry, he added. Earlier, he encouraged the PPP Japan chapters to undertake concerted efforts to promote and project the real image of the country on one hand and to supplement the programme and manifesto of the party on the other. He praised the workers and asked them to work for the strengthening of democratic institutions.
