Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Prime Minister has accepted the Indian invitation to attend the oath-taking ceremony of premier-elect Narendra Modi on May 26 .
Already Relations between Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Army are strained because of the army’s unhappiness at the trial of General Musharraf for “high treason” by the civil judiciary and thus Army Gen Raheel Sharif is against his visit for the swearing in ceremony of the Indian prime minister.
Moreover Lashkar founder ,Hafiz Saeed has warned Sharif not to attend Modi's ceremony "If you (Sharif) attend the ceremony, how will your answer be to the Kashmiris?"
But Nawaz's cabinet are viewing this as an opportunity to cultivate cordial relations with India . What ever may be the decision, it will surely have an impact on the India -Pakistan ties.Sharif,who has been advised by the Foreign Office to attend the ceremony.
Sharif should avoid giving wrong signals to the world about Pakistan's weak civilian government.
The invitation for Sharif has sparked a debate in the country on whether it should be accepted or not, particularly in view of strains in bilateral ties and non-acceptance of a Pakistani invitation by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the past.
Sharif's daughter Maryam tweeted that cordial relations with the new Indian government should be cultivated.
"I personally think cordial relations with new Indian govt should be cultivated. Will help remove psychological barriers, fear & misgivings," she tweeted.
She followed it up with another tweet, "It's upon the leaders to lead their countries & ppl to peace & conciliation."
Hard Diplomacy by Modi
Narendra Modi 's first diplomatic step by inviting all SAARC leaders to his Inauguration shows his leadership capabilities and gives a reflection of his broader Foreign policy
Nawaz Sharif has been advised by Pakistan Foreign office to attend the ceremony . The government is, however, yet to take a final decision on the invitation received on Wednesday.Modi invited all heads of government in South Asia to his swearing-in ceremony.
Modi, who is to be sworn-in in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan Monday evening, would hold brief bilateral talks with each leader the following day. On May 26 night, he would host a banquet for all the dignitaries.
The dignitaries who are arriving include: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury — all from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam is also attending.
Nawaz consulted his close aides, ISI chief and chief of Pakistani Army Gen Raheel Sharif on invite .The political history of Pakistan is marked more by periods of military rule than of democracy and military has often overruled the democratically-elected government.
In the past the military even joined hands with self-serving politicians to further their vested interests .
Recently,Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif termed Kashmir as the "jugular vein" of Pakistanand said the issue should be resolved in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris and in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions for lasting peace in the region.
Its a known fact there exists a nexus between Pakistan Taliban and Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate of the army ISI. As the US prepares to leave Afghanistan, Pakistani spy agency ISI is engaged in helping Taliban, a terrorist outfit which the intelligence agency has been helping for more than two decades .
"For twenty years Pakistan's army, the real power broker in the country, has backed the Afghan Taliban. It helped create the Taliban's Islamic Emirate in the 1990s and build the al-Qaeda state within a state," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official said.
He even negotiated with Tehriki-Taliban Pakistan. The Pakistani and Afghan Taliban share a similar ideology, but the Pakistani Taliban have a separate leadership structure and focus on attacking the Pakistani government .
Their demands are
Drone attacks should be stopped
Introduce sharia law in courts; introduce Islamic system of education in both public and private educational institutions
Release of Pakistani and foreign Taliban held in jails and dropping of criminal charges
Restoration and remuneration for damage to property during drone attacks
Hand over control of tribal areas to local forces; withdrawal of army from tribal areas and close down check posts
End alliance with US on the war on terror and all types of ties with US
Replace the democratic system of governance with the Islamic system
No comments:
Post a Comment