PM defers departure to US till 21st

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sought explanations from the US administration on certain sensitive issues and till the receipt of Washington’s standpoint on the same Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has deferred his departure for the United State’s official visit till Wednesday (October 21).
The prime minister was supposed to leave for London today (Sunday) morning. Adviser to the PM for National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry also left for Washington late Saturday evening where they will have talks with high ups of the US government immediately after their arrival in the US capital.
Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar Malik is already in Washington and he is engaged in hectic consultations with top US officials on contentious subjects.
He will be returning home today (Sunday). It is likely that he would be submitting report to the prime minister about his deliberations in the US capital immediately after returning home while Sartaj Aziz will give his input separately from Washington on the issue.
Sartaj Aziz will have consultations with his US counterpart Susan Rice who is Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs today (Sunday) late evening after his arrival in Washington.
The decision of the departure of prime minister and his entourage would be made in the light of the reports so received.
Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News here Saturday that the US leadership is attaching conspicuous significance with the upcoming official visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the US for which President Barack Obama extended the invitation. The ongoing discussions about nuclear subject and developments in Afghanistan have made the trip exceptionally important.
The sources revealed on condition of anonymity that the preparatory talks for the summit meeting are still inconclusive and for the reason some members of the entourage have been dispatched before the arrival of the prime minister in Washington. The American government has informed Pakistan that Nawaz Sharif, First Lady Begum Kalsum Nawaz, daughter of the PM Maryam Nawaz, federal ministers Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Senator Ishaq Dar, Sartaj Aziz, and SAPM Syed Tariq Fatemi will stay in Blair House, exclusive official rest house for the high-stature guests of the US president. The ongoing consultations taking place on the senior echelon between the top officials of the two countries will have direct bearings on the meeting between Nawaz and Obama and high ups of the two countries, the sources said.
The PM House sources declined to comment on the subjects which are being discussed in Washington just before the departure of the prime minister but it’s evident now that Pakistan wouldn’t accept any proposal wherein Pakistan’s nuclear network is treated in isolation.
“There is no question about any compromise on country’s nuclear programme.” Pakistan is making it absolutely clear to the US that Pakistan’s nuclear programme would be discussed in the regional context and not in isolation. Pakistan wouldn’t give any concession on this count since it is the matter of death and life for Pakistan. It is based on minimum credible deterrence. The ongoing consultations are also linked with Afghan issue. Pakistan is prepared to assist in reconnaissance process for that country but New Delhi’s influence has to be kept away from Kabul for the success of peace efforts.
Nawaz will brief the US president about the Indian belligerency and its obnoxious approach for talks with Pakistan. The serious violations of Indian occupying forces on the Working Boundary/LoC will also figure in discussions.
It is unlikely that Nawaz would hand over dossiers that Pakistan has already submitted to the United Nations regarding evidence of Indian involvement in fomenting terrorism in Pakistan through its state organs and state actors. He will highlight the human rights violations by Indian occupying forces in Occupied Kashmir. The prime minister will explain Pakistan’s principled position on Kashmir dispute and India’s avoidance from resolving it peacefully.
The sources maintained that Nawaz will talk to the US leadership from the position of strength as he commands majority support back home and stability has returned and the system is working efficiently in the country.
The visit will have added significance as Maryam Nawaz will be visiting White House on the invitation of US First Lady Michelle Obama Thursday (October 22) the day Nawaz will be meeting President Obama. Michelle has invited Maryam to discuss her worldwide initiative for imparting education to the less privileged children, the sources added. The prime minister is travelling by his small Gulf-Stream twin-engine jet and he will have to make a stopover in London before taking off for Washington.