ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had a telephonic contact with President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday, reportedly to dispel the impression of clash between the institutions and discuss some crucial issues involving memo controversy, which is at the centre of political crisis gripping the country.
The phone call made by Gen Kayani to Zardari during his Friday?s meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was confirmed by the PM himself Saturday night at a press conference also held to dismiss the notion of rift between the army and the government. Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar also confirmed the phone talk, saying that Gen Kayani inquired about president?s health.
Sources in the Pakistan People?s Party informed that the Friday night meeting between the COAS and prime minister, wherein the president was also taken into loop, discussed the memo controversy and ostensibly the divergent viewpoint taken by the military leadership in their reply filed with the Supreme Court. During the course of discussion ?a lot many things had settled down considerably? and the impression of clash between the institutions was erased to a great extend.
Sources further said that during the conversation both President Zardari and Gen Kayani agreed that the national interest should be held supreme and it was in the fitness of things that all the institutions should work in unison to steer the country out of prevailing crisis-like situation when the very sovereignty and integrity of the state was at stake in the post-Nato attack scenario.
They said that army chief was trying to contact the president for the past day or so but could not reach him on phone. He finally connected to him during his meeting with PM Gilani when he rang him (Zardari) up and both of them had a brief but ?meaningful? chat and both the leaders were ?almost? on the same page that the national interest was supreme.
However, these party sources said they have no idea about the return plan of President Zardari, who they said was improving after his shifting from hospital to his Dubai residence. Even some of his close confederates confirmed to The Nation that his condition was almost normal.
Some of the sources in the party informed that president would likely stretch his stay to Dubai for another couple of weeks and the fourth anniversary of Ms Benazir Bhutto?s martyrdom at Nodero would be lead by party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. These sources further said that if President Zardari returns back before Dec 27, even then the function would be lead by Bilawal.
In the absence of any view from the army of Friday?s talk between the troika, the PPP government has to some extant succeeded in selling an all-is-well impression but political observers are of the view that nothing could be said with a fair degree of certainty about the substance and impact of the meeting. More than taking it as something of a breakthrough or reaching at some kind of deal between the two sides ? the government and the army ? they see it as an exercise to convey a message to the US and Nato that they won?t allow anyone to capitalise on their internal rift.
Some analysts also saw it an effort by the PPP to convey an impression that Zardari was not incapacitated and his health to good to dash opposition?s dream of dethroning him on health grounds. They say that today?s (Monday) hearing of memo case in the Supreme Court would help bring some clarity to the prevailing state of confusion.
Talking to a select group of media persons at Prime Minister?s House on Saturday evening, PM Gilani termed judiciary and army as pro-democracy, brushing aside the impression of any clash-like situation between the three institutions. He insisted that all the state institutions were on same page and nobody wanted to derail the incumbent political dispensation.
He emphatically said, ?Both the army and judiciary are pro-democracy and I am confident that they don?t want derailment of system, as it takes years to put the system back on track.? Gilani said there were no means of overnight change, as the change would only come through the elections and ?not through any care-taker or chair-taker?.
Responding to questions regarding the divergent viewpoint given by the Chief of Army Staff and ISI director general in their replies on memo case in the Supreme Court, the premier failed to give any satisfactory answer except saying that since they were working under the government ambit, their replies were routed through the Ministry of Defence and the Office of Attorney General as per the laid procedure and they were very much in the ambit of the constitution.
Gilani, however, insisted he sees no threat to system as all the institutions would continue functioning within their constitutional limits but stressed the need of more cohesion in the working of the state institutions to steer the country out of the prevailing crises. He told the journalists that during Friday?s conversation Gen Kayani and President Zardari expressed their resolve that institutions would function within their constitutionally defined parameters.
About the government?s point of view on the Supreme Court?s jurisdiction in the memo case, Gilani said it was a legal matter, which has to be resolved in the court. To a question about Mansoor Ijaz, the prime minister remarked that since he (Ijaz) was a foreign national, the people should not be concerned about him and should only be concerned about the country?s security and sovereignty. He referred to the affidavit filed by the former US National Security Advisor Gen James Jones in the Supreme Court and said that ?after the letter of James Jones, this matter should now end?. To another question Gilani said that Husain Haqqani was staying in the PM House on the direction of President Zardari.
The prime minister stressed the need of national unity to tackle the challenges facing the country. He said that certain elements in the country wanted to bring change through some extra-constitutional means and made it loud and clear that they would not let anyone come from the backdoor. He said that government would complete its mandated constitutional term and elections would be held on time and those looking for some shortcut to the power would be disappointed. He said that in the past some people had established ?king?s party? but the move badly failed as with the flight of the ?king? the so-called party also evaporated in the air.
Gilani said that government would hold the next general elections in most transparent fashion under an independent Election Commission and made it clear that elections would be held on time and those dreaming about the flash polls would be disappointed. To another question he said that in next elections there would be a split mandate and government would be formed by two or more than two parties, and hoped that masses would elect leaders of good repute.
To a question he said that Pakistan wanted a strong and stable relations with the US based on mutual respect and on the basis of equality. To another question he said that country?s nukes were in safe hands and their command and control mechanism was impeccable and this fact was accepted by the world powers.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/today-headlines/~3/Bs8lcAgT_G8/KayaniAsif-talk-pricks-rift-balloon
michael myers power outage snow storm snow storm reggie bush ufc 137 boston news
642weather 
justinrains 
Bobcats 
Share ?
Email
