Zardari's visit to US criticised: President should have remained at home, says Ahsan

President Asif Ali Zardari's US visit, which is crucial for Pakistan and its future line of action to deal with militancy, attracted mixed reaction at home. As far as the political parties are concerned, most of them including the PML(N) wanted the President to remain within the country in the current crisis.
The PML (N) leader Ahsan Iqbal said that it would have been far better if president remained at home. Zardari must come back as quickly as possible, he added. Some analysts are of the view that Zardari's visit is contrary to the democratic ethics sidelining both the parliament and the elected Prime Minister.
His visit is an indication that president is still 'all in all' in the present political set up and Zardari is imitating what Musharraf had done during last five years of his tenure even though PML(Q) was in power, said an analyst. "It seems that nothing has changed in the dispensation. Democracy is in place, but the real thing which is called 'essence of democracy' exists nowhere," he said.
Prominent political analyst Irfan Siddiqui said that Prime Minister should have been entrusted with the job. Gilani should have visited US. Before the visit, the elected parliament should have been taken into confidence.
M Ilyas Khan, a senior journalist, said that Pakistan would have to accept certain ground realities. US is an important country in the matters relating to war against militancy. "If this visit resulted in more co-ordination among the stakeholders both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, then it will be a great success," he added. There were some kind of differences between the political government and the Pakistan army over certain issues relating to fight against militancy. The visit could give a hope that the two stakeholders will pursue one and the same policy," he added.
Independent observers say that the 12th session of the National Assembly last month was extended for around one week. However, members of the house from almost all the political parties took no interest in the proceedings and the house was prorogued with consensus of all political parties.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani proposed to formulate a home grown security policy in the light of recommendations forwarded by the special parliamentary committee on security. However, the MPs took no interest. The president should have taken the report of parliamentary committee on national security to Washington. However, this is not the case.
President left for Washington to hold important trilateral meetings with the Presidents of USA and Afghanistan, and the meeting would take significant decisions but the idea of Prime Minister never materialised. The western media, think tanks and policymakers are actively engaged in projecting Pakistan in a negative way, particularly, after passage of the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation by the Parliament.
These quarters are of the opinion that any deal with or showing leniency to Taliban is not only tantamount to allowing them to strengthen their grip in the country but also to give an opportunity to control over Pakistan's nuclear assets.
After violation of the agreement by Taliban led Sufi Mohammad, with whom the agreement was signed, it seems that Pakistan's government, army and US are unanimous to get rid of the hard-line militants by using force rather than giving them a free hand.
Owing to the Taliban's latest approach and their style of implementing Sharia, the support of public, political parities as well as the religious forces even like Jamaat-i-Islami and JUI to Taliban has significantly dropped.