NewsOct 18 , 2015
PM Sharif to depart for Washington on Monday: spokesman
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's departure for a key official visit of the United States will take place on schedule tomorrow (Monday), the prime minister's spokesman said Sunday.
PM Sharif will travel by his small Gulf-Stream twin-engine jet Monday morning and will arrive in Washington on Tuesday after a night-long stopover in London, said the spokesman, rejecting reports that the premier had postponed his departure for the key visit until Wednesday.
Adviser to the PM for National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry left late Saturday evening for Washington 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 a 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.
Pakistan seeks explanations from US on sensitive issues
Meanwhile, according to a report by senior journalist Muhammad Saleh Zaafir published in The News today, Pakistan has sought explanations from the US administration on certain sensitive issues.
Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News on Saturday that the US leadership is attaching conspicuous significance with the 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 same 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 at the Blair House, the exclusive official rest-house for 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 is evident now that Pakistan would not 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 would not 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 the 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.Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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