US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday said that President Pervez Musharraf was "prepared to speak out for what he knows is right for Pakistan," adding, "so we support him and we wi11 continue to support him."
"And we hope and are confident that he and his security people will be able to round up these terrorists who do not want to see a better future for the Pakistani people," he added.
In his remarks at the joint press conference at the White House with visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Powell hailed the "thaw in India-Pakistan relations" reflected in Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Islamabad earlier this month and restoration of transport links between the two South Asian powers.
Powell reaffirmed US support for President Pervez Musharraf and his commitment to a moderate political course for the country in the face of extremist opposition that included two assassination attempts last month.
It shows that there are still terrorists in his country that do not like what he is doing. But as we saw at the Saarc meeting in Islamabad, he is stepping up to the challenge of improving relations with India. And as we also saw in the speech that he gave to parliament earlier this week, that he is prepared to speak out for what he knows is right for Pakistan. So we support him and we will continue to support him.
And we hope and are confident that he and his security people will be able to round up these terrorists who do not want to see a better future for the Pakistani people," he added.
Referring to President Musharraf's address to the joint sitting of the parliament last Saturday, in which he pledged to work against what he said was the "curse of extremism" and to press ahead with the agreement to hold peace talks with India.