Media watch: The much awaited reply

Media discusses President Zardari's much delayed reply to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's letter.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

President's letter

Having said that, it is President Zardari and the PPP which will have to reach out to the PML-N and its leadership. The most sensible thing to do would be to go back to the Charter of Democracy and make a concrete gesture to demonstrate the PPP`s renewed commitment to it. For example the establishment of a new accountability commission to replace the NAB is part of the CoD and Mr Sharif has expressed concern in his letter to the president about the delay in the passage of the relevant legislation. (dawn.com)

Delayed mail

It is far from certain that the president’s words, in his long-delayed missive, will have any impact as far as a change in the PML-N stance goes. The party has after all seen promises broken before, and the acrimony in the Punjab will do nothing to build fondness for the PPP and its leaders. (thenews.com.pk)

Exchange of letters

The delayed response reflects the effort that has gone into it, though the PML-N got the opportunity of accusing the presidency of ‘media diplomacy’ because the contents of the letter were splashed on some TV channels even before it was received by Mian Nawaz. While there may be some validity in this, the accusation being made reflects the party’s dissatisfaction with the reply. (nation.com.pk)

Not so unstable

Nawaz Sharif’s party is not part of the coalition, nor does the government hope to involve them in the government at the Centre. The issues that have been raised by President Zardari in his reply encompass the challenges facing the country. (dailytimes.com.pk)

A change of heart

The letter has been sent to the media at a time when two of the partners in the ruling coalition have unleashed a barrage of criticism against the PPP, with one threatening to leave the coalition and the other maintaining that its decision to sit on the opposition benches is irrevocable. This has led the government’s critics to maintain that the letter is, in fact, an exercise in damage control aimed at pressurising the deserting allies by making it known that the PPP is not keeping all its eggs in one basket. (pakistantoday.com.pk)