Islam and the West
Prime Minister Gilani's first trip to the US: More downs than ups
Saturday, August 02, 2008
On a slightly more positive note, the prime minister's pleasant personality seems to have won him some friends. He also spoke consistently of the need to combat terror for the sake of Pakistan and not the US, and this too has gone down well. But in the final analysis, the prime minister has failed to prove, despite his repeated claims, that he is his 'own' man. Most citizens in Pakistan are convinced that real decision making takes place elsewhere. US leaders too seem to have understood, at the end of the visit, that this is the reality of the new Pakistan. The visit indeed was seen in the US as an opportunity to assess the current Pakistani leadership. Some key analysts in Washington are now reported to have expressed concern over the nature of the setup in Pakistan and seem unconvinced that Mr Gilani has the dynamism needed to rescue the country from its state of crisis. This may be a rather harsh judgment on a man who has moved into the prime ministerial hot seat only months ago. While he may not be an especially slick speaker, Mr Gilani has shown he speaks from the heart. This in itself is a rare quality. But the fact is that life in public office is tough and the demands it imposes are formidable. There are questions at present over whether the prime minister has so far come up to the mark.
Categories : 
6:19 AM
Moderate Islamist here
0 comments:
Post a Comment