The United States, Britain, China, Russia and other world nations, including Muslim states, are deeply perturbed over the ongoing serious political crisis and possible confrontation between the government, army and judiciary in Pakistan, and have asked for the amicable settlement of all conflicts between these three important state organs, cautioning against any harm to the democratic system in the country.
The US and Britain have said that they are in favour of democracy and rule of law in Pakistan. The diplomats from the missions of these states in Islamabad say that their countries are in favour of the continuation of the democratic system in Pakistan and also want that all the parties involved in the current political crisis must opt for restraint and resolve their issue amicably through mutual consultations rather than taking any extreme step and action.
“The US, UK, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other world nations are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Pakistan and they are especially worried over the developments that took place on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani sacking the defence secretary and the army leadership coming up with strong anti-government statements. All this has further aggravated the prevailing tension in the Pakistani capital,” said a diplomatic source seeking anonymity.
UK’s High Commissioner in Islamabad Adam Thomson also said on Tuesday that any unconstitutional change in Pakistan would be met with dismay in Britain. Addressing a press conference, he said his country had a stake in democracy in Pakistan. US Ambassador Cameron Munter is currently in the United States but the rest of the American diplomats are engaged in hectic consultations over the serious political crisis in Pakistan. “These diplomats are in touch with the Pakistani Foreign Office and also with some politicians, trying to get exact information on what is going to happen next,” the source said.
He said that same was the case with the diplomats from other world nations and all the ambassadors and other relevant staff of foreign missions were regularly updating their respective capitals on the evolving situation in Pakistan.
“The western capitals and the Muslim states have directed their embassies in Islamabad to try to dig out what shape the current political crisis will take in Pakistan in the coming few days, and the most important question that is being asked is whether there is going to be a military coup in Islamabad,” said a foreign diplomat here, who also requested not to be named.
He said one major worry for the US and UK was the deep negative impact that the ongoing crisis in Pakistan had on the reconciliatory efforts that those world powers had launched to win back Pakistan’s support for the global anti-terrorism campaign that came to halt in the wake of the NATO air strikes in Mohmand Agency.
“At one moment, a few days back, it seemed that Pakistan and the US would soon be on the path of cooperation once again owing to silent reconciliatory efforts, but all that has now gone to the background and all the focus is now on the current crisis in Islamabad, with all key Pakistani players paying full attention to it and having no time for anything else,” he said.
