Pakistan opposes politicising Olympics

PAKISTAN: Pakistan, a close ally of China, said on Thursday that it opposed any politicisation of the Beijing Olympics and foresaw no trouble when the torch relay comes to Islamabad next week.

Islamabad is due to host the Olympic flame on April 16, after protests over Tibet and human rights marred the European and US legs of its world tour.

"We are against politicising this great sporting event and we believe that politics should be kept aside from this event," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a weekly briefing.

"The Olympic torch relays and Games themselves should be allowed to continue without being politicised."

Asked if he foresaw any protests when the torch rally passes through Islamabad on April 16, Sadiq replied: "No I don't."

Neighbouring Pakistan and China often trumpet their "all-weather friendship" and President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday flew to Beijing for a six-day visit including talks with Chinese premier Hu Jintao.

Pakistan has said that it will provide the same security it gives to the country's head of state to the Olympics torch relay.

Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bomb blasts - mostly suicide bombings - blamed on Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants, killing more than 1,000 people since January 2007, according to an AFP tally.

Islamabad, Friday, AFP