President Musharraf (file photo) (CTK)
31 October 2005 -- Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf today said his country has no plan to cut its defense budget to divert money to reconstruction and rehabilitation of quake-hit regions.
However Musharraf told journalists that India and Pakistan should make the earthquake an opportunity to move forward a resolution to their rivalry over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
The 8 October earthquake left more than 58,000 people dead in Pakistan, with nearly 78,000 wounded and another 3 million without shelter.
The costs of rebuilding, which Pakistan has estimated at more than $5 billion, had raised speculation about defense deals.
(dpa/Reuters)