US prefers stable civilian government in Pakistan: McCain

Sources say US delegation has given assurances to all stakeholders of the country in its recent visit

ISLAMABAD: US Senator John McCain informed Pakistan’s key stakeholders that the Trump administration preferred a stable civilian dispensation in the country.

The development came during a recent visit of a group of American senators led by Senate Armed Services Committee chairman McCain.

Sources close to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government said the US delegation that engaged with the top civil and military leadership of the country made their assessment of the current political situation in the country besides communication on the critical question of terrorism and Pakistan’s Afghan policy.



The delegation had meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, PM Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, National Security Adviser Lt-Gen Nasir Janujua and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

According to sources, Senator McCain was alluding to US preference that Premier Nawaz will continue in his position. But the position of the military on the issue so far is that it is the judiciary that is currently pursuing investigation against the Sharif family in the Panama Papers scandal.

Sources added: But this can also not be overlooked that the Sharif Family and its supports have been giving hints that cases against them are being pursued due to the manipulations of some elements within the army and may have been communicating to international stakeholders to speak to the military establishment.



The visit apparently was a part of the periodic engagement with Pakistan. It was significant in the backdrop of the ongoing assessment of the Pakistan-US relationship that is undergoing in Washington currently.

The United States is reviewing its policy options in Pakistan and Afghanistan and this review will set the future course for Washington in the region.

While US senators appreciated some of the successes of Pakistan in dealing with the threat of terrorism they also laid out some of the expectations of US vis-a-vis Afghanistan.