ISLAMABAD, MARCH 8: Pakistan welcomed the announcement by the White House that President Clinton would visit the country during his tour of South Asia with the foreign office saying that this visit would be a steptowards peace in the region.``This is a snub to India,'' commented Pakistan Ambassador to theUS, Maleeha Lodhi, who told journalists that the Indiangovernment machinery had ``spent millions of dollars'' to preventClinton from visiting Pakistan.Back home in Islamabad, Chief Executive Pervez Musharrafconsidered the announcement a ``welcome step'' and analysts have saidthat the visit will pave the way for some significant developmentswithin the month in the country.for one, Pakistan CE will now proceed to Afghanistan within aweek or so and meet the Taliban religious leader, Mullah Omar, witha view to addressing the issue of regional terrorism and whatPakistan sees as the use of Afghanistan as a training ground forvarious militant outfits.The US wants Pakistan to address the issue of what it sees asterrorism in the region.More important, however, will be the electoral package planbeing announced by the Pakistan military strongman on March 23, theday that is celebrated as ``Pakistan Day.''Musharraf is expected to announce a timetable for local-bodyelections on Pakistan Day, which are to be held later in the year.Under the elections, Pakistanis will elect local councillors,which is being seen as a first and yet significant step inPakistan's return to civilian rule.However, Islamabad analysts say that an earlier plan to nominatea new president by the army leadership has been dropped. There were intense rumours in Islamabad two weeks back that President Rafiq Tarrar would be replaced by Frontier politician Ajmal Khattak, a contemporary of Frontier Gandhi, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.However, the military decided not to pursue this change for thetime being for various reasons.
