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| Nawaz to attend Modi's oath taking ceremony | | Moderates in Pakistan win, hawks cave in | | Pak Govt, Army, ISI exercised 60 hrs marathon parleys on the issue. Nawaz is alleged
to have surpassed the deep state and have given the affirmative nod
Early Times Report
New Delhi, May 24: The moderates have won and the hawks in Pakistan have remained on the defensive. The civilian Government and the Army besides the ISI discussed for more than 60 hours the issue whether Nawaz Sharif should attend the swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi, slated on May 26, in New Delhi or not.
While the Army and the extremists were opposed to Pakistan Prime Minister attending Modi's swearing in the Foreign Office and a number of in service and retired diplomats were in favour of Nawaz Sharif visiting New Delhi during the oath taking ceremony of Modi.
One may blame Nawaz Sharif for buckling under the pressure from the Army, the ISI and the extremists but the actual position is that the Pakistan Prime Minister has shown the guts by agreeing to be present during Modi's oath taking ceremony. It is so because extremists, including Hafiz Saeed, had warned Nawaz Sharif against attending Modi's swearing in ceremony and had even cited the terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Afghanistan to supplement the hidden meaning of his warning.
There is no doubt that the Army and the ISI are opposed to India-Pakistan dialogue for amicable settlement of various bilateral issues. And Nawaz Sharif may have some fears that if he visited New Delhi he may be ousted in a coup. That Nawaz Sharif has announced that he would attend the swearing in ceremony of Modi indicates that he has been given full assurance from the Pak Army authorities, especially by the Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif, picked by Nawaz to lead the Army.
And those in India and Pakistan believe that Modi and Nawaz may discuss bilateral issues, including terror and Kashmir, are wrong. Modi has invited heads of all SAARC nations and hence it is a sign of courtesy towards these heads of nations that are in the neighbourhood of India.
Reports from across the border said that Pakistan's Prime Minister will attend the swearing in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Pakistan and India have a history of uneasy relations and they have fought three wars over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947. Saturday's decision could signal further easing of tensions.
A statement from Nawaz Sharif's office said the Prime Minister had been invited this week by New Delhi to attend the ceremony. Sharif already had congratulated Modi over his Bharatiya Janata Party's landslide victory in the elections that concluded last week.
State-run Pakistan Television said Sharif also would meet with President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit. Relations between Pakistan and India have witnessed ups and down. Relations froze after an attack on Mumbai in 2008 in which Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people. A mild thaw since has helped trade, though not much progress has been made in normalizing bilateral ties.
During the election campaign, Modi took a tough stance on Pakistan's role in sponsoring terror attacks in India. But since his victory, Modi has softened his stand somewhat. He has said that he would like to engage India's neighbors and have friendly relations with them. |
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