Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that Pakistan is looking forward to a similar deal like the India-U.S. nuclear accord.

Pakistan has right to use civilian nuclear power, local Dawn News TV channel quoted Gilani as saying at a press conference in the central city of Multan.

Gilani's remarks came a day after the U.S. Senate voted to approve a deal to end the three-decade ban on nuclear trade with India.

The legislation, which was approved by 86-13, is now sent to President George W. Bush for signing into law. The House of Representatives has already approved the pact.

The deal, considered a key part of Bush's foreign policy legacy, was a step the Bush administration believes will secure a strategic partnership with India.

(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2008)