Quoting sources in the Government and the Pakistan embassy in Washington, the report says there are ``strong indications that Sharif may go to the United States to sign the CTBT.''

The paper said that advance television crews have already been sent from Pakistan to the US to cover some ``forthcoming big event.''

The United States, says the report, has asked its ambassador to stay on in Washington for another week.

As things stand, Islamabad is under pressure from the world community to sign the CTBT and this has been one reason given by officials in Islamabad that Sharif did not go to the US to address the UN General Assembly and sent foreign minister Sartaj Aziz instead.

Sharif was not eager to go to New York after giving a commitment last year that Pakistan would sign the CTBT in 1999.

ForeignMinister Sartaj Aziz says that Pakistan will only sign the CTBT after sanctions imposed by the US are lifted against it.

There are indications that if Pakistan does not comply, the sanctions will remain.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who is also in Washington, told reporters before his departure that the linking of the CTBT by financial institutions to funding for Pakistan was unfair ``because one is an economic issue while another is a political issue.''

Dar is in Washington to attend the annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF.

He will, however, stay on to hold discussions with the IMF over the resumption of funding by the IMF which has been stalled after Pakistan did not meet reform targets.

Pak naval war games