Obama Greets MNS

It is quite customary and ritualistic for the world leaders to greet and extend their good wishes to the winner of the general elections of a country who is likely to form the next government.  However, it is not so perfunctory with the US president Mr. Barack Hussein Obama when he greets Mian Nawaz Sharif and felicitates him on his success. He has a definite interest bordering heavy stake in Pakistan and its future leadership. Mr. Obama has, along with his good wishes, also expressed his desire to meet Mian Sahib soon.  Such an “invitation” seems to be the main reason for his greetings and one hopes that Mian Sahib would not show any undue haste in obliging Mr. Obama.  If he did, it would certainly be taken as yet another  US Yatra  by yet another Prime Minister of Pakistan! It would denude and lay bare the proclaimed independent foreign policy of the future MNS govt.. MNS, should therefore, take his own time in visiting the for eign countries and let the foreign office plan diligently the  time, the duration and the order of his visits, keeping upper most in mind the national supreme interest and our very brotherly relations with China, Iran, Saudi Arabia etc.

Incidentally, if Mr. Obama is so keen to meet MNS why not board the Air Force One and fly over to Islamabad?  We assure him a warm welcome.

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)