News
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Army ‘throws weight’ behind Nawaz Sharif* Sources say COAS, PML-N chief discuss internal, external security issues
* Political intelligentsia considers meeting ‘plow ahead’ for Nawaz from army to hold PM’s office
By Kashif Hussain
LAHORE: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and British High Commissioner Adam Thomson called on PML-N president and expected prime minister for the next parliamentary tenure Nawaz Sharif separately at his residence in Raiwind Farms on Saturday.
According to PML-N sources, General Kayani held a three-and-a-half-hour-long discussion with Nawaz in a very pleasant atmosphere and both exchanged views on internal and external security issues confronting the country, especially the Karachi situation, terror attacks in different parts of the country and drone attacks in the Tribal Areas.
Sources said that former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif was also present in the meeting.
The political intelligentsia is giving high importance to this meeting and considering it a ‘plow ahead’ for Nawaz Sharif from the Pakistan Army to hold the office of the prime minister for the third time. The political intelligentsia while lifting their eyebrows on this long meeting between General Kayani and Sharifs has expressed hope that things would go smooth in the future.
It is pertinent to mention here that before the meeting, British High Commissioner Adam Thomson also held a meeting with the PML-N chief, in the presence of Shahbaz Sharif and Senator Ishaq Dar, in Raiwind.
PML-N sources confirmed that the British high commissioner not only greeted Nawaz and his party for winning the general election but also assured to continue UK’s advocacy of democracy in Pakistan. They said that matters of mutual interest and bilateral relations were discussed in the meeting.
The sources said that during the meeting, Nawaz Sharif told the British high commissioner that the PML-N government in its third term would like to concentrate on trade rather than getting any aid from foreign countries to overcome the economic crisis. He also hoped that the UK would continue its support to the Pakistani government in this regard.
Sources said that in the meeting, Adam Thomson had assured PML-N leaders that his government would make all efforts to boost the relations between both the countries in the future. The sources said that the British ambassador also welcomed the economic reforms in Pakistan for the betterment of the common man.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk