Moin91
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By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: Behind the scenes a lot is happening to prevent Nawaz Sharif from entering Pakistans airspace by engaging authorities in Dubai with the blessings of Washington, which, on the other hand, is exerting extreme pressure on Islamabad to go for a deal with Benazir Bhutto.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher is reportedly arriving here today or tomorrow while Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte is landing in Islamabad next week on a secret mission, the main purpose of which is to win a deal for Benazir. Although the Americans have publicly distanced themselves from this internal affair of Pakistan, a government source said Islamabad is under tremendous pressure from Washington to strike a deal with Benazir no matter what is the price.
With the ruling PML facing serious cracks from within because of the deal-dialogue initiated by the Presidency and despite presidential camps general repulsiveness to the demands of Benazir, the rulers here are compelled to talk to the PPP chairperson for a power-sharing formula. During the last couple of months three different sessions of dialogue between Benazir and the Presidency have held but without any breakthrough.
In case of Nawazs announced return on September 10, the government is working on different options. The government functionaries dont give any clear answer about the strategy being chalked out to welcome Nawaz. It is also playing vague to the questions if Nawaz would be allowed to land in Islamabad as per his schedule, deported back to Saudi Arabia or would be jailed upon is arrival.
The government functionaries and the federal ministers mostly say that the situation would be dealt in line with law of the land. However, a source confided to The News that there is a serious effort being made by the government to engage Dubai authorities with the blessing of Washington in manner that Nawaz should not be allowed to fly to Islamabad from Dubai.
The source said that the effort is to bundle the former prime minister back to Riyadh from Dubai. This way neither would there be any contempt of the Supreme Courts decision nor would it has to face the expected political uproar that is generally connected with the arrival of Nawaz.
Islamabad, it is said, has also made frantic efforts to win the heart of the Saudi rulers. It is not yet clear how would the Saudi rulers react if Sharifs are deported to Riyadh from Dubai but the government has, at least, succeeded in getting a recent warning issued from an unnamed spokesman of he Saudi government, asking Sharifs to honour their word.
However, Nawaz, in his reaction, has said that he has direct contact with King Abdullah and that he is determined to fly back home after seven years of exile. In case Sharifs make a smart move and instead of flying to Islamabad from Dubai, opt for their takeoff from some other world capital and fly on a powerful airlines like British Airways, the challenge would be entirely different for the government.
An official sitting in Islamabad is reviewing different strategies and have already held couple of meetings with the chief secretary Punjab and the provincial police chief to foil the next weeks Nawaz Sharif show.
There is nothing clear as to what is going to happen on Sept 10. Even those discussing different strategies are not sure if their plans and contingency plans would work as per their desires.
Move to stop Nawaz in Dubai with US help
ISLAMABAD: Behind the scenes a lot is happening to prevent Nawaz Sharif from entering Pakistans airspace by engaging authorities in Dubai with the blessings of Washington, which, on the other hand, is exerting extreme pressure on Islamabad to go for a deal with Benazir Bhutto.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher is reportedly arriving here today or tomorrow while Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte is landing in Islamabad next week on a secret mission, the main purpose of which is to win a deal for Benazir. Although the Americans have publicly distanced themselves from this internal affair of Pakistan, a government source said Islamabad is under tremendous pressure from Washington to strike a deal with Benazir no matter what is the price.
With the ruling PML facing serious cracks from within because of the deal-dialogue initiated by the Presidency and despite presidential camps general repulsiveness to the demands of Benazir, the rulers here are compelled to talk to the PPP chairperson for a power-sharing formula. During the last couple of months three different sessions of dialogue between Benazir and the Presidency have held but without any breakthrough.
In case of Nawazs announced return on September 10, the government is working on different options. The government functionaries dont give any clear answer about the strategy being chalked out to welcome Nawaz. It is also playing vague to the questions if Nawaz would be allowed to land in Islamabad as per his schedule, deported back to Saudi Arabia or would be jailed upon is arrival.
The government functionaries and the federal ministers mostly say that the situation would be dealt in line with law of the land. However, a source confided to The News that there is a serious effort being made by the government to engage Dubai authorities with the blessing of Washington in manner that Nawaz should not be allowed to fly to Islamabad from Dubai.
The source said that the effort is to bundle the former prime minister back to Riyadh from Dubai. This way neither would there be any contempt of the Supreme Courts decision nor would it has to face the expected political uproar that is generally connected with the arrival of Nawaz.
Islamabad, it is said, has also made frantic efforts to win the heart of the Saudi rulers. It is not yet clear how would the Saudi rulers react if Sharifs are deported to Riyadh from Dubai but the government has, at least, succeeded in getting a recent warning issued from an unnamed spokesman of he Saudi government, asking Sharifs to honour their word.
However, Nawaz, in his reaction, has said that he has direct contact with King Abdullah and that he is determined to fly back home after seven years of exile. In case Sharifs make a smart move and instead of flying to Islamabad from Dubai, opt for their takeoff from some other world capital and fly on a powerful airlines like British Airways, the challenge would be entirely different for the government.
An official sitting in Islamabad is reviewing different strategies and have already held couple of meetings with the chief secretary Punjab and the provincial police chief to foil the next weeks Nawaz Sharif show.
There is nothing clear as to what is going to happen on Sept 10. Even those discussing different strategies are not sure if their plans and contingency plans would work as per their desires.
Move to stop Nawaz in Dubai with US help
