Qureshi gives generals something to think about

Almost everything at former Pakistan People’s Party stalwart and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s public gathering in Ghotki was pretty much according to the script. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists gathered there in large numbers and the presence of their chief Imran Khan himself on the occasion had left no doubt as to which direction Qureshi would be heading. His announcement that he was joining the PTI was just a formality. So no surprises there.
However, Qureshi concluded his speech with a bang by saying that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are under threat as long as President Asif Ali Zardari is in power. It is not unusual for Qureshi to take on his former party as it is in accordance with the norms of politics. But such a statement coming from a man who was the foreign minister not very long ago would certainly leave the generals thinking at a time when the “memogate” affair is still hot and Pakistan’s tensions with the US are steadily escalating – the recent NATO attack that killed at least 24 Pakistani troops particularly taking the ties between the two countries to their lowest ebb.
Qureshi said that he will speak more on this subject at the PTI rally in Karachi… so he is providing time for more drama and suspense to be created. The military establishment is already suspicious of the civilian leadership following Pakistan-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz’s memo ‘disclosure’ – former Pakistani Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani’s resignation proving that the generals indeed bought Ijaz’s story. Now Qureshi’s ‘revelation’ would further get the generals thinking as to whether the civilian government is actually planning to strike some kind of a secret deal with the US or not. And the men in uniform are unwilling to take chances when it comes to ‘national interest’.