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New Pakistani PM wins unanimous vote of confidence
SUPPORT:
After telling US President Bush that the 'war on terror' should be expanded, the US hinted at more assistance for the country's new leadership
AGENCIES, ISLAMABAD
Sunday, Mar 30, 2008, Page 5
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"We want to move together to help Pakistan be safe and have economic opportunities and we want to move together to make Pakistan a success as a democratic society."
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Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary of state
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Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday secured an unprecedented unanimous vote of confidence from parliament, tightening his grip on power in the nuclear-armed state.
Opposition parties backed the resolution backing Gilani after he called for their support for democracy and stability.
A coalition lawmaker had moved a resolution for the vote of confidence, which Gilani won from all 342 lower house members of parliament.
"The resolution is passed unanimously," Speaker Famida Mirza told the house.
A key aide of murdered opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Gilani will lead a coalition that won general elections last month, trouncing loyalists of US-ally Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistan has been a bulwark in the US-led fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the US.
The country has suffered an unprecedented wave of violence including suicide bombings in the past year blamed on al-Qaeda and Taliban militants trying to destabilize the country.
Gilani on Tuesday told US President George W. Bush that a broader approach to the "war on terror" was necessary.
Meanwhile, a senior US official visiting Pakistan held out the prospect of increased assistance for the new government on Friday, while stressing the need to work together in the fight against al-Qaeda.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said there were militants in Pakistani tribal areas planning attacks on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Europe, the US and elsewhere.
"We want to move together to help Pakistan be safe and have economic opportunities and we want to move together to make Pakistan a success as a democratic society," Boucher said.
"So, as the government lays out its plan, in that regard, we will look for the proper ways to support," he said.
A body of opinion was forming in the US that Pakistan should get more assistance, he said.
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