The American print and electronic media has given prominent coverage to the Pakistan Supreme Courts decision to allow the Sharif brothers to return to Pakistan to contest the upcoming elections, with one leading newspaper saying that it threatens the US strategy of supporting President Pervez Musharraf.
New York, Aug 25 : The American print and electronic media has given prominent coverage to the Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to allow the Sharif brothers to return to Pakistan to contest the upcoming elections, with one leading newspaper saying that it threatens the US strategy of supporting President Pervez Musharraf.
"The prospect of Nawaz Sharif's return presents the most direct challenge yet to Musharraf, who flirted with imposing emergency rule this month," The New York Times (NYT) said.
"For the Bush Administration, which has backed Musharraf as a crucial ally, Sharif's re-entry into politics would overturn its plan to prod the General to share power with Benazir Bhutto as a way of keeping him in power," the NYT said.
"At the very least, he (Nawaz Sharif) is not a good friend of the US," Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former State Department official, was quoted by the paper, as saying.
Markey noted that, as opposed to Bhutto, Sharif drew his support more from the right of Pakistan's politics, including the religious parties, and added "you can say the same thing about Musharraf."
"Sharif and Musharraf are long-time enemies, and Sharif's return could split the party that supports Musharraf and undo any prospect of his re-election, the NYT said.
"But should Sharif end up becoming Prime Minister after general elections, America's current agreements with Musharraf - particularly on the sharing of intelligence - would have to be renegotiated," Markey said.
The paper said Sharif's return would certainly hamper the Bush Administration's efforts to arrange a power-sharing accord between Bhutto and Musharraf, and it could further complicate Musharraf's plan to seek election next month by members of the current National Assembly.
The Washington Post said, "Sharif is now poised to become Musharraf's main political adversary. Sharif has said he would try to block the General's plans, and he might have an ally in Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry."
"Despite the court's ruling, Sharif's return would be risky. Government lawyers indicated that they intend to try to enforce Sharif's life sentence, which could make it all but impossible for him to participate in politics," the paer said.
"But with Musharraf faltering and Bhutto publicly considering a deal that would allow her to share power with the general, Sharif has cast himself as the only credible national leader," the Washington Post claimed.
Meanwhile, the conservative Washington Times highlighted a statement made to the newspaper by Information Secretary Syed Anwar Mahmood that Pervez Musharraf will indeed resign his military commission by the end of the year.
The paper said, "Musharraf's pledge should also help to facilitate a promising power-sharing agreement with exiled Bhutto."
Commenting on the court judgement that allows Sharif to return home from exile, The Washington Times said, "His return adds another layer of pressure to Gen Musharraf, perhaps encouraging him to secure a deal with Bhutto.
ANI