NATO said on Tuesday it had invited Pakistan to a summit in Chicago next week, lifting a veiled threat that it might exclude the country from the talks on the future of Afghanistan.
“Allies decided to invite President (Asif Ali) Zardari of Pakistan to Chicago to the meeting on Afghanistan,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement. “This meeting will underline the strong commitment of the international community to the people of Afghanistan and to its future. Pakistan has an important role to play in that future.”
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen suggested on Friday that Pakistan could be excluded from the May 20-21 summit if it failed to reopen the supply routes to Afghanistan that it closed after 24 of its soldiers were killed by a NATO cross-border air attack last November. Rasmussen noted that other countries providing supply routes to NATO had been invited to the summit, which will map out a future for Afghanistan after most foreign combat troops are withdrawn at the end of 2014. President Zardari’s spokesman said he was considering whether to attend the Chicago summit and that the invitation was “unconditional and not linked to the opening of ground lines of communication for NATO or to any other issue.”
Pakistan has demanded a formal apology from the United States for the attack before it reopens the supply routes, and has also called for an end to US drone strikes on its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan’s involvement in the Chicago talks would minimise its international isolation and could boost its leverage over the future of neighbouring Afghanistan, as NATO countries pull out their combat forces by 2014. Pakistan stopped short of confirming immediately that the president would travel to Chicago, but the invitation marks a return from the cold for Islamabad, which boycotted the last major international talks on Afghanistan, held in Bonn in December.
“The president informed the NATO secretary general that he would consider the invitation in the light of the guidelines of the parliament and the advice of the government,” said spokesman Farhatullah Babar. Analysts say Pakistan has no choice but to reopen the border as US cash is needed to help boost its meagre state coffers, at a time when major NATO discussions are under way affecting its own strategic future.
Sources familiar with the discussions told AFP the government had effectively decided to end the blockade, probably by the beginning of next week.
Both sides had found “broad agreement” on logistics for the fuel and other non-lethal supplies that would go overland through Pakistan to Afghanistan, one source said.
“The meetings will indicate that the decision has the backing of all the stakeholders,” the source told AFP.
“This should minimise the prospect for Islamist groups to exploit the situation in the hope that they’ll get the backing of the military establishment.” Pakistan previously negotiated a fee of $160 per 40-foot container and is now looking to secure anywhere from $320 to $500, although the figure has yet to be agreed, one source told AFP. The United States has also guaranteed payment of at least $1.1 billion should the borders reopen, as compensation for fighting militants, the source added. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Monday that Pakistan had made its point and that “we now need to move on and go into a positive zone and try to conduct our relations.”
The US State Department said both countries had made “considerable progress” on ending the blockade, which has halted fuel and supply trucks from the port city of Karachi in the south to two Afghan border crossings. The United States has made increasing use of more expensive routes into northern Afghanistan and the Pakistan supply routes constitute as little as 25 percent of what NATO needs to sustain itself in its nearly 11-year fight against the Taliban.
Mir Mohammad Yousuf Shahwani, chairman of the All Pakistan Oil Tanker Owners Association, told AFP he had been informed by a senior official in the petroleum ministry that Pakistan would reopen the supply line within days.
What exactly will this illiterate president do at the conference? It is laughable to read that zardari has not decided to attend yet. If NATO summons him to Chicago, he will go. He will go anywhere anyone invites him. Too bad Allah has not summoned him to hell yet.
Pakistan needs a president who is clever and knows political maneuvering, and is shrewd. At least this man speaks better english than Musharaf or NawazSharif. Did u ever watch Shahbaz or Nawaz Press conference in which they speak english just for two minutes and then Ch. Nisar takes charge of press conference. Zardari can speak english(whatever) continuously, unlike these Sharif Majhas. He has got some potential. Mao Tse Tung was not a matric. Stalin was not a middle pass. Hitler has less than middle class education. Jinnah was not graduate even. What use is Nawaz's B.A LLB degree if he cannot speak english in press conference more than 2 minutes.
I know a lot of people who speak better english than all the politicians. Does that qualify them to become president? Is this you standard for a president? WOW! I'm impressed 🙂 By the way Jinnah had a law degree. Reckless, you are as stupid as they come. You can change you name everyday but I know who you are and your ignorance shines thru everytime you make a comment. I knew they should never have let you out.
You r unable to give any counter-arguement and after doing a lot of practice on a paper you post your vacuous comments here. You hide your scacity of arguements behind personal attacks and filthy language, just to hide your poverty of logic. I know level of your political knowledge, and you know something about Jinnah only coz you must hv read something about book. I am sure you never read any book on politics in your life; and this is obvious from your comments. Office clerk do talk like you; being half educated. Little knowledge is dangerous and your comments prove my point.
Your thinking is like a rural primary school teacher and you read no book about any historical personality in your life. All you wud hv read about Jinna must be from some 3rd grade book in a primary school. I now put you to a test to check your intellectual level. Wud you name the most famous and authenticated book on Jinna and its author? If you do not answer this question, you are surely a clerk recently certified from a mohalla english learning school.
Atleast I did go to 3rd grade primary school. Its more than what I can say about you since you totally missed Jinnah's level of education. As far as the most "famous" and "authenticated" book on Jinnah goes, its a subjective matter. First you have to define your version of "famous and authenticated". I don't want to go above your intellectual level so I have to try to bring myself down to your level so you would understand. By the way can you define the meaning of "vacuous" and "scacity"? And what exactly is half educated? I doubt you can answer any of my questions 🙂
Half educated is what you r and one can understand meaning of vacuous when one can look at your arguements.You r a clever little bit and try to escape the answer. If you cannot name one you can name three or four books. If you 3 or 4 books you will surely know the most famous as well.Even to come down you must need some strong wings. If you are thrown up by a stroke, you r sure to strike the ground miserably. Neem hakeem khatra jan, neem mullah khatra iman. Have you ever written about corruption in 88% of national budget?
You seem to be an empty head and stupidit and mindless arguements make me mad. I shudder to think how a person can be so illogical and pointless in thinking. I really want to see such people. To be a politician is a first requirement in a modern state. It might not have been in a medieval period. All the people I mentioned were heads of state, I wonder if you really anything about any of them. I pity you if you dont know about Shahensha Akbar, who had no education at all, but he was the most successful ruler of India.
What is "stupidit"? And what exactly do you mean by "to be a politician is a first requirement in a modern age"? What kind of stement is that? Requirement for what? Do you know the meaning of "shudder"? Define please 🙂
Reckless, is musa gillani a friend of yours? It surely seems like the drugs you've been buying from him are having an effect on you. You need to stay away from people like him, my friend. They will ruin your life and when you are sitting on a foot path and they drive past you in their Land Cruiser, they won't even spit on you. Just look at babar awan.
Reckless, had enough yet? I can dish out some more if you want. Buddy, you're messing with the wrong person. Now go back and change your name again and come back as a different person. Don't use the one's you've already used. You coward.
Mr. you always show your level of thinking; indulging in vituperations. I am not here to be tested by a new return from a english language school. Try to put up your position on political affairs, and dont try to relate me to somebody. I am no relation of Gillani. Just be logiclal and look all fcets of reality when you write .
What is "vituperations"? Remember I only have 3rd grade education therefore I need things explained to me in simple english 🙂 One thing I hate is stupidity and you are as stupid as anyone can get. When you were writing under AleemJan I asked you many questions about your defense of corruption in this govt. but you never had any answer except to try to deflect the questions by talking about nawaz's corruption. You logic of being able to speak english to become president also does not make sense. Talk sense and I'll go easy on you otherwise…….
You lack the aqbility to understand this. So, just try to understand the things you can. You again so a semi-literate person's mentality by asking meanings of the words. By asking meaning of some phrases. This is child like habit. Dont be a baby. All I ask you is to look at the things objectively, and think and analyse. I asked you a question, and that is the most inportant question, and you ignored that. Please, answer that question" Why dont you speak about 88% of national budget"
I just put you a question." Why do you write about corrupt politicans only whose corruption is just a minuscule of eastablishemnt/bureaucratic corruption. Look at the figures. Civil budget is just 12% of national budget, and it is the only budget which is audited. Out of this 12%, 60% go to salaries of 1 million govt servants. Why dont you talk about other portion of the budget and the corruption in that one. Even, most of 12% civil budget is gulped by byreaucracy. 1000 billion looted by income tax bureauracy. All people politicians, army, bureaucrats are accountable.
ya, You already hv enough from me but you r irreformable, coz it is beyond your mental approach to understand my point. You r in grip of propagenda of anti-democratic elements like all other intelligencia of Punjab. You r not a wrong person. Try to be a gentleman, and be a gentleman. You have never seen a wrong person ever in your life. I think you have faced some better people, so try to be a gentleman now.
Dont be agent of intelligence agencies. It is better for you to remember what happened to many people who become agent of anti-democracy and Taliban-sponsoring agencies. Like you they think themselves some doers, but they end up miserably. So, dont try to be a wrong person. You are a genteman and behave like that.
I do this for fun. You are my entertainment everyday. If i told you who I am, what I do for a living, and what family I come from, it would blow your mind. I have seen and experiencede everything in life. What I have learned is that merit should matter, corruption should not be tolerated, liars should be exposed and you must stand up for what you believe in. I don't agree with the policies and practices of this corrupt ppp govt. and I will speak against them every chance I get. Now, if you'd like to have a discussion about this govt. I'll be more than happy to. My only requirement is that you back you statements with facts and I'll do the same.
I have first hand experience of more things than you can ever imagine. I have experienced democracy and dictatorship both. What I want is whats best for Pakistan and at this point and under this govt. democracy is not what Pakistan needs. I have my reason to feel that way and I'll be more than happy to discuss that but only if you promise that you will talk intelligently and not just emotional and irrational speech.
it s all very easy to use such words as "emotional" and "irrational". you cannot hide behind wall of words and phrases. DemoSo much cracy is always topsy-turvy in its own right. India is democracy is much more noisy and India has much more problems than Pakistan. But opposition in that country does not provide propagenda material to Transparency International, nor is this in China where it is much more corruption than Pakistan. So much so that TIME called it Peoples' Republic of Scandal. Those who hv knowledge of political evolution understand that democracy is a zig-zag process. But u dont know even ABC of politics. You seem to to belong to corporate class having recently become a PTI member. Five or ten years are nothing in the life of nations. Roots of democracy take tens of years to become strong. Corruption is a secondary issue. It has always been used by establishemnt to weaken democratic govts. Establishemnt itself is a thousand times corrupt than politicians. Are you president of Pakistan? What first hand experience do you have? Dont boast. Elaborate.
Since you insist on exposing your ignorance, let me ask you a few questions. Try to answer them (you are allowed to get help). What is democracy? What benefits has democracy given Pakistanis? Does Pakistan currently has true democracy? And one more thing. Why do you always bring up India? Are your parents hindus? You seem to be very impressed by India. Why don't you take your muhajir a*s back to India and live there since you admire everything about them so much? Just because both your dads, zardari and gillani, are corrupt does not mean that corruption is a secondary issue. Its the root cause of many many problems. You wouldn't understand because you are too dumb.
We have a Jiyala here Ladies and Gentlemen.
He arrived before the train left the platform. He will get a ride…
Aik Zardari sab par bhari….Sar Punjabi Sar..
He arrived before the train left the platform. He will get a ride…
Finally someone called us……..
No we begged them to call us
only public protest against salala tragedy forced this servile government of pppz,mqm,anp,ml-c to stop container supplies till some opportune time to restore it.zardari-galani ,walis,altafs etc are personally sold to usa,k,nato interests and it was to come sooner or later.now this government is presenting this worst ever corrupt president as pro Pakistani
FIRST BECAUSE OF FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS..
love zardari love Hussain Haqani love all the liberals hate all the Jihadies
How much money did he gave it to your mother?
Well this was expected! NATO supplies opened without an apology by US, what's so historic about this Chicago Moot? I'll bet a dime the moot would be not profitable, atleast for us and we are being manipulated by US to gain their objectives! GOD bless the decision-makers and bestow onto them some rationality and sense,amen!
Zardari's presence in Chicago is more harmful than his absence.No wonder they did not want to miss this opportunity.And rest assured this whole drama was only to get this invite.Meeting of this and that committee is part of it.
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