Adeel
Founder
US envoy appreciates Nawazs growing popularity
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD US Presidents special envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke appreciated the growing popularity graph of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif during his last weeks meeting with him.
Your public rating is going up with the passage of time, a participant of the deliberations held in Islamabad on Thursday claimed during a chat with this correspondent. He said that Holbrooke disclosed that another survey by an American organization, which would be shortly out, also depicted the rising popularity of Nawaz Sharif.
However, instead of being buoyed up and excited over the US officials acknowledgement, another participant of the meeting remarked during the discussion, rest assured that given your friendship with us about which an impression is being created, we should prepare ourselves for a big hit because of the anti-American sentiments in Pakistan.
The source said Holbrooke just smiled over the utterance and said that Washington valued its relationship with the PML-N, and his meeting with Nawaz Sharif was part of his consultations with different politicians of Pakistan during his visits.
The source said that no American official or congressman has ever directly urged the PML-N to be part of the federal government.
However, he said, they have been asking for cooperation between the PML-N and the government for their own objectives.
They know they cant take us for granted as they do in the case of President Asif Ali Zardari, he said.
They are and have been careful in talking to us on issues on which we have an unambiguous stand, known to all and sundry. They adopted the same strategy during the recent long march., he added. SG
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD US Presidents special envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke appreciated the growing popularity graph of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif during his last weeks meeting with him.
Your public rating is going up with the passage of time, a participant of the deliberations held in Islamabad on Thursday claimed during a chat with this correspondent. He said that Holbrooke disclosed that another survey by an American organization, which would be shortly out, also depicted the rising popularity of Nawaz Sharif.
However, instead of being buoyed up and excited over the US officials acknowledgement, another participant of the meeting remarked during the discussion, rest assured that given your friendship with us about which an impression is being created, we should prepare ourselves for a big hit because of the anti-American sentiments in Pakistan.
The source said Holbrooke just smiled over the utterance and said that Washington valued its relationship with the PML-N, and his meeting with Nawaz Sharif was part of his consultations with different politicians of Pakistan during his visits.
The source said that no American official or congressman has ever directly urged the PML-N to be part of the federal government.
However, he said, they have been asking for cooperation between the PML-N and the government for their own objectives.
They know they cant take us for granted as they do in the case of President Asif Ali Zardari, he said.
They are and have been careful in talking to us on issues on which we have an unambiguous stand, known to all and sundry. They adopted the same strategy during the recent long march., he added. SG
