Supporters of political parties chant slogans as they celebrate the government's announcement to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice at his residence in Islamabad March 16, 2009. Pakistan's government agreed on Monday to reinstate Chaudhry to defuse a political crisis and end a street agitation that was threatening to turn into violent confrontation. Chaudhry became a cause celebre after being dismissed in late 2007 by then-president and army chief General Pervez Musharraf.
‘I take issue with the fact that we stood by … the Secretary (of State Hillary Clinton), (special US envoy) Richard Holbrooke and (the US ambassador in Islamabad) Anne Patterson were very involved in trying to calm tensions in Pakistan. So the US was involved in that regard,’ said Mr Wood.
‘But these were decisions that had to be taken by the Pakistani leadership. And in the end, I believe they acted in the best interests of the Pakistani people, and that's what's important here.’ The spokesman’s refusal to take credit for what was an obviously a high-profile US involvement; reflects Washington’s fear that a public acknowledgement of an American role could discredit the solution that it helped forge.
The State Department also emphasized the need for further political reconciliation in Pakistan. ‘There's been a build-up of political tensions for quite some time … these decisions were good steps that were taken. But, clearly, more has to be done, in terms of getting a real substantive political dialogue back on track in Pakistan,’ said Mr Wood.
The US spokesman, however, said he could not be more specific on how to bring about this political reconciliation. It was for the Pakistani government and the opposition to decide how they ‘can move closer to each other, instead of further away from each other,’ he said. Meanwhile, Ambasador Holbrooke gave credit to President Asif Ali Zardari, saying the United States applauds ‘the statesmanlike act by President Zardari and hopes that it will help defuse a dangerous confrontation.’ He also hoped that Pakistan, with the help of its many friends, could now address the nation’s pressing and urgent needs.
Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry, who has proposed tripling US aid to Pakistan, described the CJ’s reinstatement as ‘an important moment’ for the country.
He said by restoring Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to his position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Pakistani people had shown their commitment to an independent judiciary and to the rule of law.
‘Now, Pakistan's civilian leadership must avoid divisions and work together to further strengthen the nation's democratic institutions,’ he said. At the State Department, spokesman Wood insisted that ‘this was not something that the US helped bring about’ and that the United States only made sure that the Pakistanis understood the importance of avoiding violence and the need for political dialogue.
But he acknowledged that Secretary Clinton made several telephone calls to key Pakistani players, including both Mr Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.
‘The United States was very concerned about how the situation was developing, and she wanted to make clear that nonviolence was the way forward,’ Mr Wood said. ‘She wanted to emphasize the importance of nonviolence and that there be no impediments to peaceful, democratic assembly. And that was the essence of the secretary's phone call.’
Asked to describe why he was saying Pakistan was on the brink, Mr Wood said there was potential for political violence, particularly over the weekend.
‘It was a very difficult weekend. It was very politically charged; we're all aware of that,’ he said. The situation ‘certainly could have been a lot worse were it not for the leadership of the Pakistani government and the willingness of its people to take the steps necessary to back down from this crisis,’ said Mr Wood.
‘And the important thing now is to move forward, bringing about further reconciliation amongst Pakistanis and getting back to a real substantive political dialogue.’
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pakistan Came Back From The Brink: US
Pakistan Came Back From The Brink: US
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(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - March 17, 2009: The United States said on Monday that the decision to reinstatement the chief justice brought Pakistan from the brink but declined to take credit for helping defuse a potentially explosive situation.
‘This was basically a decision made by Pakistanis for Pakistanis. And they deserve all the credit,’ said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. But he also disagreed with the suggestion that the United States stood by and allowed the violence to escalate.
Supporters of political parties chant slogans as they celebrate the government's announcement to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice at his residence in Islamabad March 16, 2009. Pakistan's government agreed on Monday to reinstate Chaudhry to defuse a political crisis and end a street agitation that was threatening to turn into violent confrontation. Chaudhry became a cause celebre after being dismissed in late 2007 by then-president and army chief General Pervez Musharraf.
‘I take issue with the fact that we stood by … the Secretary (of State Hillary Clinton), (special US envoy) Richard Holbrooke and (the US ambassador in Islamabad) Anne Patterson were very involved in trying to calm tensions in Pakistan. So the US was involved in that regard,’ said Mr Wood.
‘But these were decisions that had to be taken by the Pakistani leadership. And in the end, I believe they acted in the best interests of the Pakistani people, and that's what's important here.’ The spokesman’s refusal to take credit for what was an obviously a high-profile US involvement; reflects Washington’s fear that a public acknowledgement of an American role could discredit the solution that it helped forge.
The State Department also emphasized the need for further political reconciliation in Pakistan. ‘There's been a build-up of political tensions for quite some time … these decisions were good steps that were taken. But, clearly, more has to be done, in terms of getting a real substantive political dialogue back on track in Pakistan,’ said Mr Wood.
The US spokesman, however, said he could not be more specific on how to bring about this political reconciliation. It was for the Pakistani government and the opposition to decide how they ‘can move closer to each other, instead of further away from each other,’ he said. Meanwhile, Ambasador Holbrooke gave credit to President Asif Ali Zardari, saying the United States applauds ‘the statesmanlike act by President Zardari and hopes that it will help defuse a dangerous confrontation.’ He also hoped that Pakistan, with the help of its many friends, could now address the nation’s pressing and urgent needs.
Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry, who has proposed tripling US aid to Pakistan, described the CJ’s reinstatement as ‘an important moment’ for the country.
He said by restoring Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to his position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Pakistani people had shown their commitment to an independent judiciary and to the rule of law.
‘Now, Pakistan's civilian leadership must avoid divisions and work together to further strengthen the nation's democratic institutions,’ he said. At the State Department, spokesman Wood insisted that ‘this was not something that the US helped bring about’ and that the United States only made sure that the Pakistanis understood the importance of avoiding violence and the need for political dialogue.
But he acknowledged that Secretary Clinton made several telephone calls to key Pakistani players, including both Mr Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.
‘The United States was very concerned about how the situation was developing, and she wanted to make clear that nonviolence was the way forward,’ Mr Wood said. ‘She wanted to emphasize the importance of nonviolence and that there be no impediments to peaceful, democratic assembly. And that was the essence of the secretary's phone call.’
Asked to describe why he was saying Pakistan was on the brink, Mr Wood said there was potential for political violence, particularly over the weekend.
‘It was a very difficult weekend. It was very politically charged; we're all aware of that,’ he said. The situation ‘certainly could have been a lot worse were it not for the leadership of the Pakistani government and the willingness of its people to take the steps necessary to back down from this crisis,’ said Mr Wood.
‘And the important thing now is to move forward, bringing about further reconciliation amongst Pakistanis and getting back to a real substantive political dialogue.’
Supporters of political parties chant slogans as they celebrate the government's announcement to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice at his residence in Islamabad March 16, 2009. Pakistan's government agreed on Monday to reinstate Chaudhry to defuse a political crisis and end a street agitation that was threatening to turn into violent confrontation. Chaudhry became a cause celebre after being dismissed in late 2007 by then-president and army chief General Pervez Musharraf.
‘I take issue with the fact that we stood by … the Secretary (of State Hillary Clinton), (special US envoy) Richard Holbrooke and (the US ambassador in Islamabad) Anne Patterson were very involved in trying to calm tensions in Pakistan. So the US was involved in that regard,’ said Mr Wood.
‘But these were decisions that had to be taken by the Pakistani leadership. And in the end, I believe they acted in the best interests of the Pakistani people, and that's what's important here.’ The spokesman’s refusal to take credit for what was an obviously a high-profile US involvement; reflects Washington’s fear that a public acknowledgement of an American role could discredit the solution that it helped forge.
The State Department also emphasized the need for further political reconciliation in Pakistan. ‘There's been a build-up of political tensions for quite some time … these decisions were good steps that were taken. But, clearly, more has to be done, in terms of getting a real substantive political dialogue back on track in Pakistan,’ said Mr Wood.
The US spokesman, however, said he could not be more specific on how to bring about this political reconciliation. It was for the Pakistani government and the opposition to decide how they ‘can move closer to each other, instead of further away from each other,’ he said. Meanwhile, Ambasador Holbrooke gave credit to President Asif Ali Zardari, saying the United States applauds ‘the statesmanlike act by President Zardari and hopes that it will help defuse a dangerous confrontation.’ He also hoped that Pakistan, with the help of its many friends, could now address the nation’s pressing and urgent needs.
Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry, who has proposed tripling US aid to Pakistan, described the CJ’s reinstatement as ‘an important moment’ for the country.
He said by restoring Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to his position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Pakistani people had shown their commitment to an independent judiciary and to the rule of law.
‘Now, Pakistan's civilian leadership must avoid divisions and work together to further strengthen the nation's democratic institutions,’ he said. At the State Department, spokesman Wood insisted that ‘this was not something that the US helped bring about’ and that the United States only made sure that the Pakistanis understood the importance of avoiding violence and the need for political dialogue.
But he acknowledged that Secretary Clinton made several telephone calls to key Pakistani players, including both Mr Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.
‘The United States was very concerned about how the situation was developing, and she wanted to make clear that nonviolence was the way forward,’ Mr Wood said. ‘She wanted to emphasize the importance of nonviolence and that there be no impediments to peaceful, democratic assembly. And that was the essence of the secretary's phone call.’
Asked to describe why he was saying Pakistan was on the brink, Mr Wood said there was potential for political violence, particularly over the weekend.
‘It was a very difficult weekend. It was very politically charged; we're all aware of that,’ he said. The situation ‘certainly could have been a lot worse were it not for the leadership of the Pakistani government and the willingness of its people to take the steps necessary to back down from this crisis,’ said Mr Wood.
‘And the important thing now is to move forward, bringing about further reconciliation amongst Pakistanis and getting back to a real substantive political dialogue.’
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