Washington, Nov 13: Lobbyists love it when companies and countries get into trouble, because the bigger the problem, the larger their fees.

But Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s image makeover has proved too much for a US lobby firm, which has refused a 1.2 billion-dollar contract from the Pakistan Government.

Last week, Cassidy and Associates, one of Washington's biggest lobbying firms, opted out of the contract, saying the military crackdown in Pakistan had rendered its efforts to generate goodwill useless.

"We thought it best to withdraw from the account as the dramatic changes in Pakistan impeded our effectiveness on their behalf, " said Tom Alexander, Cassidy's spokesman. A Pakistan Embassy statement, however, claimed the decision was more mutual.

"The contract for one year was still at the trial phase when during the course of the first month of association, both the Pakistan Embassy and Cassidy and Associates came to the conclusion that the latter could not effectively implement the contract as lobbyist, " an embassy spokesman said.

"As a result, Cassidy and Associates asked for withdrawal from the contract that the Embassy has accepted, " it added.

Cassidy says Pakistan did not push it out. "There was never any concern about our work expressed by the embassy, " The Washington Post quoted Alexander, as saying. (ANI)