Opinion Rift in Punjab

Daily Times reported on February 21: “Capitalising on the number game in the Punjab assembly by declaring the PML-Q Unification Group as a parliamentary party,the PML-N is set to say goodbye to its coalition partner,the PPP,by February 24… The sources claimed the plan has been tailored in such a fashion that it will not affect the working relationship… with the federal government… without leaving a chance for the PPP to table a no-confidence motion against the CM with the help of the PML-Q.” The Express Tribune added on February 24: “But at the same time,the Raiwind leadership has left a small opening for the PPP by deferring a mass movement to dislodge the government at the centre ‘in order to give time to the PPP to implement the 10-point economic agenda spelt out by PML-N’.” PML-N leader,Nawaz Sharif has,however,stated that allying with supporters of a former dictator would be a curse for his party.

The PML-N had also given the PPP a deadline (February 21) to implement the said agenda,failing which they had warned action. The PPP showed signs of anxiety,as a report in The News on February 21 suggested: “Sources said the president has… authorised on behalf of the PPP,the PM to hold a meeting with the PML-N chief for negotiations on implementation of the 10-point agenda.” PM Yousaf Raza Gilani only managed to buy time through this meeting,urging the PML-N to “keep its cool,” reported The Express Tribune. Subsequently,Nawaz Sharif announced his party had decided to remove PPP ministers from the Punjab government and dissolve the cabinet. The Express Tribune reported on February 25 that PPP’s Punjab unit will challenge in the Lahore high court the Punjab assembly speaker’s decision to allocate separate seats to the unification bloc.

Who is Davis?

Just like PPP-PML-N relations,the status of US consulate staffer,Raymond Davis has also been in flux since he was arrested for double murder last month. After a dramatic debate on his diplomatic status — in which two senior PPP functionaries lost their jobs in the government and the party — the latest is that he could be a CIA operative and/or even a Taliban recruiter. Attributing the story to The Guardian and other foreign news outlets,Dawn reported on February 22: “Davis was attached to the CIA’s Global Response Staff,whose duties include protecting case officers when they meet with sources… Moreover,The New York Times,Washington Post,Associated Press and other media outlets reported for the first time that Davis was a CIA employee.”

The Express Tribune broke another sensational news on February 22: “The alleged killer… had close links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)…” The report quoted a senior Punjab police officer: “The Lahore killings were a blessing in disguise for our security agencies which suspected Davis was masterminding terrorist activities in… Punjab… His close ties with the TTP were revealed during the investigations.” The report added Davis could have also been working on a plan to give credence to the American notion that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not safe.

In national interest

The Davis saga has cast a dark shadow on the ISI-CIA relations,reported The Express Tribune on February 25: “A senior Pakistani intelligence official… said the case of Raymond Davis had strained but not broken relations between the CIA and the ISI because the ISI didn’t know about Davis before he… killed two Pakistanis… ‘It’s not business as usual; it’s not open war… Cooperation and operations together will continue at a lesser scale.’ Another intelligence official said: ‘We are not ready to split… There has been a patch up because we have both realised that in the larger interest of the region and the war on terrorism,CIA and ISI must work together’.”