ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari, who is leaving for New York on September 21, will face not only an enormous challenge to persuade his American counterpart George W Bush for the withdrawal of the latter's decision of launching missile strikes on Pakistan's tribal areas but also to restart the "stalled Indo-Pak' peace process as he meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.
"President Zardari will stay in New York till September 26 during which he would not only address the General Assembly's session but would also hold crucial meetings with President Bush and the Indian Prime Minister," said a senior government official here on Sunday requesting anonymity.
He said those two meetings would determine the nature of relations between Islamabad and Washington as well as Islamabad and New Delhi in the months and years to come.
According to the official, the President would try his best to prevail upon his US counterpart for restraining the American troops from continuing with missile strikes as well as commando raids inside Pakistani territory in hunt for al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
"During his endeavour, President Zardari was likely to extend full assurance to his counterpart about Pakistan's decisiveness and resolve to go after the Taliban and foreign fighters in tribal areas with full force," he said. The President, he said, was also expected to come up with a clear warning during his talks with Bush that the missile strikes and ground troops' raids, if continued, would not only destabilise Pakistan but also harm the ongoing cooperation between Islamabad and Washington in the fight against terrorism.
He said it was the major purpose of President Zardari's ongoing visit to the UK and his interaction with British leadership there and it was the same major issue that would top the agenda of his forthcoming visit to New York.
Another official, who is privy to developments on another important front of Indo-Pak peace process, said that for all practical practices, Pakistan's dialogue with India aimed at the resolution of Kashmir and other disputes had hit the snags.
He said that earlier, it was the political uncertainly in Pakistan in the wake of February 18 elections and now it was the surge in subversive acts of terror on Indian soil that was keeping the New Delhi away from the table of negotiations.
He cited the example of Saturday's serial blasts in India that killed well over 30 persons and said that New Delhi believed that Pakistan had once again opted for soft stance on curbing the cross Line of Control (LoC) militancy after years' long hard position that resulted in lowering of terrorist attacks on the Indian side of border.
Hence, he said the meeting between President Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was highly significant in a sense that it could give the much needed impetus to the stalled peace process.
However, he cautioned that the failed talks between the two leaders in New York could bring irreparable damage to the peace process started back in 2004 by the archrival nuclear nations.
The Nation (Pakistan)
