Article

2008-08-01 India-Pakistan

After Gilanis flop visit, US decides not to take the PM seriously, says Pak paper

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by john frum 2008-08-01 08:30|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's address to the Council on Foreign Relations

The Question-Answer session began with a question by the CFR President Richard Haas about the current challenges and Pakistan's willingness and ability to face it.

Reacting to the Prime Minister's detached response, Richard Haas said, "Let me then come back to the question somewhat differently. Pakistan obviously faces tremendous problems in terms of internal security, which you spoke of in your speech. The fact that the problem has grown to the extent it has, that it's become as bad as it has, is this because of the weakness of the state of Pakistan? Is this because historically the state has been unwilling to take on these challenges? Why has Pakistan, in a sense, gotten into the security challenge that it faces?

What the Prime Minister told the highly knowledgeable select audience, in response to the question is the following:

GILANI: "That we have inherited. This is not the problem of only these three to four months, because you are also fighting the war in Afghanistan for the last five years, and you can also see -- realise the difficulties you are facing. And this is not a war which is a normal war. It is a guerrilla war. And nobody is trained for a guerrilla war. But certainly now we have a challenge and with God Almighty's blessing, we will be able to overcome the problems."

HAASS: Again, it seems to me that to attribute so much of the domestic political history of Pakistan to the United States, we could argue the history, but it also seems to me potentially dangerous, simply because I think you exaggerate our influence. And I would think that there need to be questions the Pakistanis raise for themselves about political culture in Pakistan, about the role of the army.

It's as much a statement as a question. You don't have to answer that. But since you alluded to it, let me take it one step further here, which is, you obviously inherited a situation where you have a former general, now President Musharraf, in power. Is this a situation that you believe is sustainable? Is this something that you believe can be continued in a way that is consistent with the growth of democracy, or do you see Mr. Musharraf staying in office as somehow inconsistent with the future of Pakistani democracy?

GILANI: Actually, you are considering Mr. Musharraf as a president of the United States. This is not the case, because there is a parliamentary form of government; here is a presidential form of government. And you can compare me with Gordon Brown, the prime minister of U.K., or --

HAASS: I hope your political numbers are higher. (Laughter.)

GILANI: -- no, no -- and Manmohan Singh, who is the prime minister of India. Therefore, we have inherited the Westminster system, a parliamentary form of government where the chief executive is the prime minister and not the president.

HAASS: I understand.

Let me ask the question a different way, then -- (laughter) -- beyond President Musharraf, which is whether you think now in the army there is a broader acceptance of a more limited role for the army. Do you think now the coming generation of army officers accepts the notion that their proper role is in the barracks rather than in politics?

GILANI: Certainly, yes. Because of the February 18 election of this year, we have a mandate to the moderate forces, to the democratic forces in Pakistan. And the moderate forces and the democratic forces, they have formed the government. And therefore the people have voted against dictatorship and for democracy -- the chief of the army staff is highly professional and is fully supporting the democracy.

HAASS: One of our senior fellows at the Council on Foreign Relations, Dan Markey, has recently produced a study called Securing Pakistan's Tribal Belt, and it is a study about FATA and what needs to be done there. And one of the questions I would have is whether it is possible to imagine a different relationship between the central government and the FATA, and essentially to end the unique status of the FATA and to integrate it more into Pakistan like other parts of the country.

GILANI: Exactly, you really don't know the exact position of FATA. FATA is already under the federal government. And there are two governments. There's a provincial government and the federal government. And the FATA is under the federal government. Therefore it is controlled by the governor, who is the nominee of the federal government. Therefore it is under the federal government.

HAASS: I understand that it is under the federal government. But it also enjoys, shall we say, a slightly different status or reality than other parts of the country.

GILANI: They have -- (inaudible) -- and they have senators. And interestingly all -- (inaudible) -- and the senators are supporting me.

HAASS: Okay.

Well, we wish you well with that. (Laughter.)

GILANI: In fact, the ISI is quite established in Pakistan. And it is -- it has good relations with the United States; our ISI, and they have worked together. (Laughter, applause.)

And at the same time, it is under the prime minister. Therefore they will do only what I want them to do.

(Cross talk.)

Again short answer; you can ask me another question.

HAASS: So if we have differences or problems with ISI, we now know who to go to.

GILANI: If there are differences -

HAASS: -- or problems. So you actually feel now that ISI -

GILANI: ISI or the army or -- (inaudible) -- is under the civilian government. And that is under the chief executive.

HAASS: Is there any question or issue that you wish you had been asked, that you're dying to talk about? Because we've covered a lot of ground. Obviously we could go on with -

GILANI: I'll tell you one thing.

HAASS: Sure. Yes, sir.

GILANI: Basically I'm a journalist. (Laughter.) And therefore it hardly matters whether -- anybody can ask me any questions.

HAASS: Yes. We can ask questions. (Laughter.) It's your responses though which are interesting

GILANI: This is my ninth appointment. And I still have one more.

HAASS: Well, in that case, you need to save your energy, sir, and pace yourself. It's going to be hard to sustain this rate then for too many more years.

Posted by john frum 2008-08-01 08:49|| 2008-08-01 08:49|| Front Page Top

#2 The man is a idiot

Posted by john frum 2008-08-01 08:50|| 2008-08-01 08:50|| Front Page Top

#3 FATA is already under the federal government.

I stopped there.

Posted by .5MT 2008-08-01 09:05|| www.cybernations.net]">[www.cybernations.net] 2008-08-01 09:05|| Front Page Top

#4 They're already mocking him on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gtkOq8KrRw

Posted by john frum 2008-08-01 09:12|| 2008-08-01 09:12|| Front Page Top

#5 This of course remains his greatest moment...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMBy_OIJM6Q

Posted by john frum 2008-08-01 09:12|| 2008-08-01 09:12|| Front Page Top

#6 "...whenever ~~Gilani~~ Obama read from a written script, he was coherent, articulate and looked like a man who knew what he was talking about. "

There fixed that for you.

Posted by AlanC 2008-08-01 09:48|| 2008-08-01 09:48|| Front Page Top

#7 The only thing you Pak animals need notice is that we're getting tired of your shit. Diddle with that for a day or two.

Posted by Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-08-01 09:49|| 2008-08-01 09:49|| Front Page Top

#8 So Pakistan elected an empty suit based on buzz?

Nice to see the consequencs so well laid out.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-08-01 10:41|| 2008-08-01 10:41|| Front Page Top

#9 Old Spook wins the coveted 'Rantburg Understated Snark o' the Day' award!

Posted by Steve White 2008-08-01 11:31|| 2008-08-01 11:31|| Front Page Top

23:46 Red Dawg
23:34 liberalhawk
23:24 Anonymoose
23:17 Red Dawg
23:12 Anonymoose
23:11 liberalhawk
23:09 Anonymoose
23:01 Anonymoose
23:00 trailing wife
22:47 bigjim-ky
22:46 Anonymoose
22:42 bigjim-ky
22:40 bigjim-ky
22:39 bigjim-ky
22:36 bigjim-ky
22:33 bigjim-ky
22:27 Red Dawg
22:26 bigjim-ky
22:26 SteveS
22:25 bigjim-ky
22:24 bigjim-ky
22:17 Red Dawg
22:16 liberalhawk
22:13 bigjim-ky