Pakistan has a role in Afghanistan, says US

WASHINGTON: Pakistan on Wednesday praised US President Barack Obama for saying he would visit the country next year, calling it a sign of commitment between the troubled war partners.

Obama, meeting with a senior Pakistani delegation, said he would not visit when he travels to neighboring India next month. But he committed to visiting Pakistan in 2011 and invited Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking afterward at the Brookings Institution think-tank, called his meeting with Obama “very satisfying.”

“The fact that he has agreed to visit Pakistan next year, the fact that he has decided to invite the president of Pakistan to the United States of America, that is the level of engagement that is taking place,” Qureshi said.

The United States has played a delicate balancing act, seeking to show Pakistan it seeks a relationship beyond cooperation on Afghanistan while also trying to broaden its ties with India, the world’s largest democracy.

But Qureshi acknowledged “obviously there are concerns” that remain between Pakistan and the United States.

In a recent report to Congress, the White House said bluntly that, though it had made sacrifices in the US anti-terror campaign, Pakistan could do more to crack down on extremist safe-havens in lawless tribal areas.

Pakistan this month temporarily shut down its main land crossing for war supplies into Afghanistan, outraged after a Nato helicopter killed Pakistani troops along the border.

“Fighting terrorism remains a strategic and moral imperative for us,” Qureshi said, insisting that “our nation has suffered the most” from extremism and was committed to international cooperation.”

But Qureshi warned: “Actions are required that reinforce and not undercut such counter-terrorism cooperation.”

“I reiterate again — Pakistan’s sovereignty is and will remain non-negotiable,” he said. —AFP

  Am I wrong, certainly not?

We are far too jubilant if not over jubilant to announce, or more correctly, proudly announce that early next year none but USA President Barack Obama will be visiting Pakistan said by our honourable Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and reported by daily Dawn.

I am not against the proposed visit of American President so my words should not be painted, twisted, interpreted and twisted otherwise particularly at this stage when I have not even penned second sentence. To me, on the face of it, the visit is not just a visit as one may think of but it be taken as an eye opener for us provided if we think and realize its heat and gravity rather than just keeping our eyes shut. The words of FM, “The fact that he has agreed to visit Pakistan next year “ (partial quote)  very well speak out aloud in quite crystal clear terms without any ambiguity and doubts that Pakistan has at least requested, if not begged, him to visit Pakistan.  I just leave it to your own fair judgment to figure out how many months and money may have been spent by us to seek his blessings.

It will be very much appropriate and ripe opportune for me to flash back a bit to the time when earlier his predecessor Bush had come to Pakistan which, as such, can very well enlighten us to a very great extent as to what did we get or benefit from the visit.  We must refer to all the documentary evidence we can get hold of including even the official joint communiqué, handouts, press conferences together with the newspapers of the period when the Head of State of the mightiest on the face of earth was amongst us which I am sure will at least open our eyes, if not brain. Remember he came to us when Gen (Retd) Pervez Musharraf who, not only often visited Washington but was known to be a good friend of America, was very much on the throne both as President and Army Chief and it will be worthwhile to check as to how much efforts our president must have put in to bring Bush to us?

We must also take due cognizance of the fact as to how many hours, if not days, Bush had his foot on the land of pure. Don’t forget to also dig out from our official archives of the President of Pakistan as to where did he sleep and what did he eat and drink, if not fasting, when he was in Islamabad. This is purely an academic and at all an intriguing question to find out as to what air Bush had inhaled for the whole period when he was very much physically within the territorial limits of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.  What else did we do in addition to closing our space for the entire period Bush was here?

How the two presidents are different, may I dare ask? I as an honest person, neither adding nor subtracting anything, rather just stating the facts as they are so that the ground realities can be very easily understood by all. Both of them are human beings meaning by none is superior to the other. Both of them are male as well otherwise someone possibly could have argued that one being female president is a bit lower to a male president. As far as natural and physical body parts are concerned, my president has all what American president can boast of so from this point of view the two presidents are exactly the same (no question of apartheid). My president is also head of state, not head of government also proves that the two are on equal footing. My president is also a popularly elected president like his American counterpart so here too the two cannot be distinguished whatsoever.

I will complete rest of my article but only when you tell me as to how our president was received when he went to Washington DC to meet American colleague.

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With my honest and solemn prayers

Sincere Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Former Diplomat / Kuwait