Acting president Naek meets PM, Pakistani envoys

Govt showed footage where Naek is seen chairing meetings and acting as the president of the state.

ISLAMABAD:

With clouds of uncertainty hovering over the return of President Asif Zardari, the government’s media machine has started showcasing acting president Farooq H Naek as the ‘real and efficient’ head of state in what appears to be an ‘all is well’ message.

For the first time since President Zardari departed for Dubai for ‘ health treatment’ early last week, the government on Tuesday circulated footage in which Naek was seen chairing meetings and acting as the president of the state. His words in official statements seemed more assertive — matching those which Zardari had been disseminating from the presidency.

Though there wasn’t any explanation from the government for this sudden and unusual ‘focus’ on Senator Naek, experts interpret it as an indication that the president might take much longer to return than initially assumed.

On Tuesday, Naek addressed a gathering of Pakistani envoys converged on Islamabad from key capitals of the world to review the country’s war on terror strategy. He also met with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The acting president said the November 26 Nato air raid on Pakistani border posts had “necessitated” appropriate short and long-term measures to safeguard the country’s national interests as well as meet challenges of the emerging situation.

“While Pakistan’s relationship with the US constitutes an important component of its foreign policy, the changes in the international environment since 9/11 warrant constant evaluation and assessment,” he said in the meeting.

Naek expressed hope that the collective wisdom of the envoys at the conference would help in policy evaluation and course correction, if necessary.

Meeting with the PM

At a separate meeting with PM Gilani, the acting president shared the observations of the premier and said the present democratic government was “strong and would not face any difficulty in scuttling the moves orchestrated by those who are known for their political shenanigans”.

He discussed the prevailing situation in the country and said that the political opponents would not get the political mileage they were hoping for.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2011.