ISLAMABAD, 3 April 2008 — Pakistan’s Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani briefed the country’s new civilian leaders yesterday as they reviewed the US-backed policies of President Pervez Musharraf in fighting militancy.
Gen. Kayani met with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, key Cabinet ministers and leaders of parties in the ruling coalition. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Kayani gave them a detailed briefing on security issues and the war on terror.
Among those who attended were Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted as premier in Musharraf’s 1999 coup, and Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former Premier Benazir Bhutto.
Security analyst Nasim Zehra says the meeting reflected the shift in power to civilians after February elections and the new government’s intent to review anti-terrorism policies.
The new government is offering to negotiate with militant groups, which are prepared to renounce violence, rather than rely on military force.
Before the briefing, the army top brass reportedly told the leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Awami National Party that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his party leaders should not be part of any team the new government may form to talk to tribal militants because Fazl’s previous efforts to make peace with militants proved futile.
Both Zardari and Sharif favor talks with militants in Swat and Waziristan.
Director General of Military Operations Maj. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha briefed the prime minister on the nature of military operations being carried out in frontier region and tribal areas.
The director general of Inter-Services Intelligence, according to sources, gave a presentation on various dimensions of terrorism and terrorist organizations that created law and order situation in the country.
Kayani appointed Maj. Gen. Mohammad Asif to take over as head of the powerful Military Intelligence outfit from the current holder of the post, Maj. Gen. Nadeem Ejaz, the army formally announced yesterday.
Asif’s appointment was made at a reshuffle of army officers recently.
A statement from Gilani’s office about yesterday’s briefing said the army presented what it had done to “stabilize” Pakistan’s tribal regions and the Swat Valley — scene of recent military operations.
The new government says combating extremism is its No. 1 priority, but it is also offering to negotiate with militant groups.
Gilani has planned a strategy combining political engagement, economic development and “backed by a creditable military element,” the statement said.
Fazl, who leads a small Islamist party in the coalition and attended yesterday’s briefing, called for a “political” resolution of the conflict. “The solution should be through talks, and the constant use of force should end now,” he said, though conceded that the government had yet to work out its overall strategy.
Parliament to Decide on Judges’ Reinstatement
Pakistan’s Law Minister Farooq Naik said yesterday the Parliament will decide on the restoration of judges. “The National Assembly will decide the fate of deposed judges,” Naik told Arab News.
President Musharraf sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and other top judges after he imposed emergency on Nov. 3, 2007. However, Gilani ordered the release of judges after he was elected prime minister on March 24.
The new government has also set up a special committee on the reinstatement of the deposed judges on Monday when the first batch of 24 Cabinet ministers took office.
The two coalition partners — PPP and PML(N) — agreed in March to reinstate the deposed judges within 30 days of the formation of the new government.
13 Die in Cylinder Blast
At least 13 people were killed yesterday when a worker struck a match to light a cigarette at a gas cylinder shop and set off a series of explosions, a police official in the central Punjab town of Faisalabad said.
The incident happened while workers were re-filling gas cylinders for sale to domestic consumers, and the explosions caused the building to collapse. “We have recovered nine bodies from the debris while four of the wounded died later in hospital,” said Malik Yousaf, the police official.
— With input from agencies
