All Parties Conference: Troika meets ahead of all parties’ conference

Army chief said to have informed PM, president about military’s stance.

ISLAMABAD:

Hours before the country’s political leadership were to come together in the wake of strained relations between Pakistan and the United States, the president, prime minister and the army chief met at the presidency.

In their meeting, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, reviewed the current issues facing the country, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said late on Wednesday. “The civil and military leadership discussed what they want to achieve from the All Parties Conference. We should all be on one page at this point in time,” sources privy to the meeting said.

The chief of army staff spelled out the stance the military would be taking during the meeting, sources said.

In today’s (Thursday) meeting at the PM House, politicians will prepare a coordinated response to the latest allegations levelled by the United States against Pakistan. However, most leaders appear sceptical of any positive actionable outcome, sources said.

The meeting is likely to trigger questions regarding the government’s reneging of promises, reluctance on implementation of parliamentary resolutions and the recommendations passed by previous such meetings.

According to officials from the PM House, 58 invitations have been extended to leaders from across all political parties, including those who do not have representation in Parliament. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who will be returning from the US, will brief the political leadership. In addition, director general (DG) military operation and DG ISI are also likely to brief the high-profile meeting.

While a significant majority of the political leadership will be attending the conference, Balochistan National Party (BNP) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal formally rejected the invitation. Mengal said that the government was responsible for the genocide in Balochistan and he would not sit with “killers” under any pretext.

“We did not get any instruction whether the conference would be an in-camera one or whether media would cover it,” said an official from the PM House.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2011.