US weighs Nawaz As Possible Partner: Report

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 10:38 am

US weighs Nawaz As Possible Partner: Report NEW YORK: As the Obama administration has completed its review of strategy toward the South Asian region this week a question has suddenly emerge, can Nawaz Sharif be a reliable partner? New York Times said in a report.

The opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, sealed his place as the most popular politician in Pakistan. The question is whether Mr. Sharif, 59, a populist politician close to Islamic parties, be a reliable partner? Or will he use his popular support to blunt the military’s already fitful campaign against the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda?

His supporters and other analysts say that Mr. Sharif is now a more mature politician, wiser after eight years of exile in Saudi Arabia and London, and that he is eager to prove he can work with Washington and to put his imprint on a workable approach toward stabilizing Pakistan. In any case, opponents and supporters alike note, Mr. Sharif has made himself a political leader Washington can no longer ignore, the report said.

“If Washington is going to carry Pakistan, it is important they do it with popular support,” said Senator Enver Baig, a disaffected member of the governing Pakistan Peoples Party. “There’s the realization in Washington that he is the next guy we should talk to.”

“Nawaz Sharif is a reflection of Pakistani society,” said Pervez Hoodbhoy, a physicist and a critic of current government policies. “He is silent on what matters most: the insurgency. What we need is a leader.”

Some diplomats and analysts argue, however, that Mr. Sharif’s affinity with the Islamic parties could now be an asset as Washington tries to win Pakistani support to fight the militants.

US weighs Nawaz As Possible Partner: Report

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