NEWS INTERNATIONALNEWS INTERNATIONAL, PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar are trying to remove misunderstandings between the Army leadership and President Asif Ali Zardari, while, on the other hand, they are also ready to face any “extraordinary situation”.
It is learnt that Prime Minister Gilani will arrange a meeting between President Zardari and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in a few days. Both the president and the prime minister will discuss important security issues with General Kayani before the expected visits of US Commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.
Both the top US defence dignitaries will visit Pakistan in the first half of January. Prime Minister Gilani has informed President Zardari that “there are no more misunderstandings between the civil and military leadership on the Kerry-Lugar Bill and all the concerns expressed by the Pakistan Army in October last on the Bill will be addressed by the US”. Ahmad Mukhtar has suggested Zardari to invite all the corp commanders and formation commanders for a dinner at the Presidency as supreme commander of the Pakistan armed forces.
According to close circles of the PM House, the PPP leadership has decided that if there will be any “extraordinary situation”, Gilani will come to the rescue President Zardari and he will demand action against all those who violated the Supreme Court decision of November 3, 2007.
A seven-member bench of the Supreme Court had issued a stay order against the Nov 3 emergency and told all the civilian and military officers not to implement the “unconstitutional orders” of General Pervez Musharraf.
Many analysts believe that if the government quietly and carefully implements the Supreme Court verdict of December 16 then no extraordinary situation will be created. President Zardari should not make any controversial statements in these circumstances. He recently said that: “I will use political weapons if need arises.”
Prime Minister Gilani has decided to become the most lethal political weapon of Zardari if so needed. Few months back, Gilani had differences with Zardari on many issues, including the restoration of the deposed judges. Gilani recently claimed that he had restored the judges on March 16 not General Kayani. He came out with this statement probably because the 18-page Supreme Court verdict on the NRO on December 16 was quite unexpected to the premier.
Now he wants to give an impression that he is not a part of any move to remove Zardari from the Presidency. He is working on both the options. He is trying to become a bridge between the Presidency and the Army and he is also ready to resign if need arises.
PM Gilani told me informally the other day: “I will not become another Farooq Leghari. I will stand by President Zardari under all circumstances.” Leghari is described by the PPP circles as a traitor, who betrayed Benazir Bhutto and dismissed her government.
On another plan, President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani have decided to take some bold political initiatives to dispel the impression that they were running their governments from bunkers.
Gilani held a highly publicised cabinet meeting with the four chief ministers in Gwadar on December 30 for the same purpose. As a second bold initiative, he has decided to hold another cabinet meeting in the NWFP, the biggest target of the Taliban and al-Qaeda for the last six months.
NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti is ready to host a meeting of the federal cabinet in the areas which are being considered as war zones. The security agencies have recommended holding the cabinet meeting in Peshawar or Nathia Gali but PM Gilani and many federal ministers desperately want to hold the cabinet meeting in Swat.
A federal minister of the PPP, Najamudin Khan, has offered to hold the meeting in his hometown Dir, which is a part of the Malakand Division, but the ANP wants to hold the meeting in Mingora.
ANP leaders are of the opinion that if the military operation in Swat has been a great success then there should be no problem for the arrangement of a cabinet meeting in that area.
One federal minister has suggested that Prime Minister Gilani should invite Army chief General Kayani as a special guest in the proposed cabinet meeting. Participation of General Kayani may give an impression that there are no differences between the civilian and military leadership.
President Zardari will also go to a function of the Pakistan Navy on January 3 (tomorrow) in Karachi as the supreme commander of the Armed Forces. This visit will definitely confuse some of his critics who think that he does not enjoy cordial relations with the armed forces after his controversial speech on December 27 in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. Zardari is also planning some more visits to Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore.
Hamid Mir is the Executive Editor of Geo TV in Islamabad and he has also interviewed Osama bin Laden, Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, General Pervaiz Musharraf, Hamid Karzai, L K Advani and other international leaders.
