UmarJustice
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Senior analyst Najam Sethi said the US Congress wanted Pakistan to hand over Shakeel Afridi to America.
Speaking in the Geo TV programme Aapas Ki Baat on Saturday, he said it was a longstanding demand of the US while the request to repatriate Dr Aafia had not been made seriously by Pakistan.
However, when Nawaz Sharif came to power, there was talk to make an arrangement to exchange Afridi with Aafia. I had pointed out that it was a short-term measure so that no court could take action against him. He was dubiously sentenced to 33 years in jail and then court said overnight it was unfair and ordered retrial.
The situation shows some development which is linked to a treaty and Aafia and Shakeel are connected to it. If Shakeel Afridi is released and extradited to the US as an American citizen, it appears Aafia will also be freed soon, he added.
Talking about dialogue with the Taliban, Najam Sethi said the Punjabi, Afghan and Pashtoon Taliban had differing attitudes. The Afghan Talibans attitude is related to Afghanistan. But the Punjabi and Pashtoon Taliban, who were part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have differences and it will have to be seen who to talk to and there is no chance of success of talks so early, he observed.
Talking about Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said he was a politician and would never say that talks would not succeed or he had not good relations with the Taliban and he would always seek an opportunity to start talks with the Taliban.Sethi said Imran Khan had announced that he would dissolve the KP Assembly if he failed to improve governance or check corruption.
It means he will call fresh polls. If he holds elections and wins, he will again form government. If he loses, he will have to let others form government, this is the way. So, the talk of the dissolution of the assembly is meaningless, he added. Speaking on Afghan President Hamid Karzais visit, he said Karzai had his own agenda and would not budge on it.
Interestingly, Pakistan earlier had a stance that it wanted a stable, peaceful and friendly Afghanistan. General Parvez Kayani also reiterated it but later omitted the word friendly from it as it hurt some countries.
Now Pakistan wanted a stable, peaceful and united Afghanistan which is an important development. Nawaz Sharif told Karzai that Pakistan wanted a united Afghanistan under a democratic government and Afghan governments talks with the Taliban for a settlement so that all stakeholders might join hands to run a democratic government. But it is easier said than done. Karzai wanted Pakistan to release Taliban leader Mullah Baradar so that he could use him for negotiations with the Taliban but Pakistan did not accept it, he added.
Talking on Pakistans foreign policy, he said it was always controlled by the Army as it linked it to national security. But now the situation is changing. The National Security Council is in the making, so that the Army and civilians had direct discussion. On the other hand, the Army will have to understand that its monopoly on the issue may end, he opined. Talking about the PTA, he said it was rudderless. It will have to block objectionable material, not the whole of Internet or YouTube, he added.
He said Ghaus Ali Shah had resigned because he thought he deserved to be the president of Pakistan for his services to the party. He was not obliged because Nawaz Sharif wanted a person who could leave silently when asked to resign. Ghaus Ali Shah perhaps could not obey it. However, I think the president-elect will not serve for five years as the prime minister has something else in his mind, he concluded.
US Congress wants Pakistan to hand over Shakeel Afridi - thenews.com.pk
Speaking in the Geo TV programme Aapas Ki Baat on Saturday, he said it was a longstanding demand of the US while the request to repatriate Dr Aafia had not been made seriously by Pakistan.
However, when Nawaz Sharif came to power, there was talk to make an arrangement to exchange Afridi with Aafia. I had pointed out that it was a short-term measure so that no court could take action against him. He was dubiously sentenced to 33 years in jail and then court said overnight it was unfair and ordered retrial.
The situation shows some development which is linked to a treaty and Aafia and Shakeel are connected to it. If Shakeel Afridi is released and extradited to the US as an American citizen, it appears Aafia will also be freed soon, he added.
Talking about dialogue with the Taliban, Najam Sethi said the Punjabi, Afghan and Pashtoon Taliban had differing attitudes. The Afghan Talibans attitude is related to Afghanistan. But the Punjabi and Pashtoon Taliban, who were part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have differences and it will have to be seen who to talk to and there is no chance of success of talks so early, he observed.
Talking about Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said he was a politician and would never say that talks would not succeed or he had not good relations with the Taliban and he would always seek an opportunity to start talks with the Taliban.Sethi said Imran Khan had announced that he would dissolve the KP Assembly if he failed to improve governance or check corruption.
It means he will call fresh polls. If he holds elections and wins, he will again form government. If he loses, he will have to let others form government, this is the way. So, the talk of the dissolution of the assembly is meaningless, he added. Speaking on Afghan President Hamid Karzais visit, he said Karzai had his own agenda and would not budge on it.
Interestingly, Pakistan earlier had a stance that it wanted a stable, peaceful and friendly Afghanistan. General Parvez Kayani also reiterated it but later omitted the word friendly from it as it hurt some countries.
Now Pakistan wanted a stable, peaceful and united Afghanistan which is an important development. Nawaz Sharif told Karzai that Pakistan wanted a united Afghanistan under a democratic government and Afghan governments talks with the Taliban for a settlement so that all stakeholders might join hands to run a democratic government. But it is easier said than done. Karzai wanted Pakistan to release Taliban leader Mullah Baradar so that he could use him for negotiations with the Taliban but Pakistan did not accept it, he added.
Talking on Pakistans foreign policy, he said it was always controlled by the Army as it linked it to national security. But now the situation is changing. The National Security Council is in the making, so that the Army and civilians had direct discussion. On the other hand, the Army will have to understand that its monopoly on the issue may end, he opined. Talking about the PTA, he said it was rudderless. It will have to block objectionable material, not the whole of Internet or YouTube, he added.
He said Ghaus Ali Shah had resigned because he thought he deserved to be the president of Pakistan for his services to the party. He was not obliged because Nawaz Sharif wanted a person who could leave silently when asked to resign. Ghaus Ali Shah perhaps could not obey it. However, I think the president-elect will not serve for five years as the prime minister has something else in his mind, he concluded.
US Congress wants Pakistan to hand over Shakeel Afridi - thenews.com.pk
