Pakistan opens Chinese-aided nuclear plant

Pakistan's second nuclear power plant has officially opened, and hailed as another example of the close cooperation between China and Pakistan.

Chinese companies supplied equipment and helped with the construction of the plant, at Chashma in central Punjab, which took ten years to build.

Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that China was keen to extend its help to Pakistan.

The Chinese Minister for Science and Technology Liu Jibin toured the facility, after the opening, but officials said General Musharraf couldn't come because bad weather had grounded his helicopter. The Chinese prime minister, Zhu Ronghi, is due to make an official visit to Pakistan in May

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service