Daily Times Editorial May 20, 2013

Kayani-Nawaz meeting Great significance is being attached to the ‘courtesy call’ by COAS General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on prime minister-elect Mian Nawaz Sharif at his Model Town residence in Lahore the other day. Reports speak of a very cordial and pleasant atmosphere during the three and a half hour meting, during which all the pressing issues facing the country were discussed. These included internal and external security issues, especially the Karachi situation, terror attacks throughout the country, and drone strikes in the tribal areas. It goes without saying that the looming withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan next year was central to the discussion of what changes would be required to facilitate that withdrawal and handle the situation left behind after 13 years of occupation. Also, whether the US could be persuaded to cease drone attacks, a difficult proposition given the signals from the US authorities. General Kayani reportedly cautioned Nawaz Sharif to proceed slowly and surely in improving relations with India in the light of past experience. It is also being reported that the fate of General (retd) Musharraf, currently incarcerated and being tried in various cases including a possible treason case under Article 6 came under discussion. General Kayani’s replacement as COAS after he retires towards the end of this year figured in the exchange. It is widely expected, and reported from ISI circles, that the new government will receive a comprehensive briefing from the military authorities on the security situation soon after it takes office. The military, according to remarks attributed to General Kayani, is fully behind the democratic government and knows that all stakeholders have to be on the same page if internal peace is to be restored in the country. In preparation for being sworn in, the PML-N chief has called a meeting of his party today to mull over the formation of governments in the Centre, Punjab and Balochistan. It is expected that the top leadership of the PML-N will formulate a plan for the first 100 days of the new government, which is expected to focus on the crippling impact of massive load shedding, the upcoming budget, alliances at the Centre with the JUI-F (which has been invited to join the federal government) and the PML-F (which will probably agree to join). The party will also debate the strategy to be adopted towards the PPP and the PTI. Central to all wish lists for peace and economic development in the country, arguably the two most important and linked problems, will be the strategy for dealing with the Taliban. Nawaz Sharif had before the elections advised the previous PPP-led government to take the offer of talks by the Taliban seriously, since military force was not the solution to all problems. It is widely expected that the PML-N (and the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) would attempt to initiate talks with the Taliban in search of a peaceful solution to the terrorism that has had the country in its grip for years. Not only over 5,000 security personnel and over 45,000 civilians have lost their lives to this phenomenon, it has brought the economy to its knees, already wobbling because of the energy crisis. It remains to be seen though whether the Taliban too are willing to meet the new government/s halfway in the quest for peace. The significance of the Kayani-Nawaz meeting will not be lost on knowledgeable people who feared that the military may harbour reservations about Nawaz Sharif in the light of the past. The signal the Kayani initiative sends is positive: the military endorses the new government led by Mian Nawaz Sharif. This may help to reassure sceptics and quell the apprehensions of a repeat of the past clashes between the military and the incoming prime minister. The icing on the cake may well be that Shahbaz Sharif’s presence in the Kayani meeting is being interpreted by some as a sign that the younger Sharif will play an important role as the point man for the PML-N in dealings with the military. True or not, the Model Town meeting is a good beginning and promises that civil-milutray relations will be put on an even keel. It is hoped the political and military sides will come together in the interests of tackling the country’s grave crises.