Internal, external threats : ‘Sharif invites generals, judges to the table’

Punjab CM says consensus of institutions needed to save Pakistan.

LAHORE:

The heads of the military, the judiciary and political parties in and outside parliament must sit together and form a joint strategy to tackle Pakistan’s problems, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday.

Talking to the media after inaugurating a three-day polio vaccination campaign here, Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan was in a critical phase and faced internal and external threats.

“The need for unity, solidarity and national harmony in the current situation is greater than ever before. Collective efforts are needed to resolve the problems faced by the country,” he said.

The chief minister said that Pakistan needed its leaders to adopt a national mindset, give up political point scoring and come up with unanimous solutions to the country’s challenges. The consensus solution would then have to be implemented in letter and spirit.

He said that he had already contacted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in this regard and was ready to meet with anyone for this purpose. He said Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif had instructed him to do so.

He did not say what platform such meetings should take place at, or whether implementing a national strategy would require a change in government, the formation of a national government or mid-term elections.

The chief minister’s statement appears to signal a slight shift in PML-N policy considering Nawaz Sharif’s response to previous calls from MQM chief Altaf Hussain for the army or generals to come in and resolve the country’s problems. The PML-N chief had rejected these appeals and said that only a democratic setup could resolve Pakistan’s issues.

Sources in the PML-N told The Express Tribune that Shahbaz Sharif’s statement was a political one and part of a strategy to make the party seem more friendly towards the army.

They said the PML-N would push for mid-term elections once the budget was announced and it did not want the army opposed to a PML-N victory at the polls. They said that Shahbaz had better relations with the military than his brother Nawaz.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2011.