With the US Congress giving its nod to the civil nuclear deal with India, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday indicated that the country may seek a similar arrangement with its close ally China.

"Pakistan will now make efforts for a civil nuclear deal and they (the world community) will have to accommodate us," Gilani said in his hometown of Multan, soon after the Indo-US nuclear deal was approved by the US Senate on Thursday.

Stressing that there was 'no need to worry', Gilani said, "Now that the civil nuclear deal with India has been finalised, Pakistan will have the right to ask for a similar deal because we do not want there to be any discrimination."

Asked if Pakistan would seek nuclear technology and know-how from China, Gilani said Beijing and Islamabad had a 'unique relationship' that was a 'time-tested and all-weather friendship'.

"Very soon the President (Asif Ali Zardari) and myself will be visiting China. Our cooperation is not limited to any one field (and we have) multi-dimensional cooperation. It is not only government-to- government friendship, it is people-to-people friendship with China. Our cooperation in defence will increase," he said.

Commenting on Pakistan's relations with its immediate neighbours, India and Afghanistan, Gilani said, "We should have a joint strategy to bring prosperity and progress to this region and to provide security to the people."

"Pakistan is holding talks with India to resolve outstanding issues and there have been several meetings between the top leaders of the two countries," he said.

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