Zardari’s govt will survive till March: Washington Post

WASHINGTON: US paper 'The Washington Post' in its editorial has said that the crisis in US relations with Pakistan has been overtaken, in Pakistan itself, by a power struggle among three competing authorities: the civilian government, the military and the judiciary.

The paper writes, its outcome could determine whether Pakistan will seek to repair its alliance with the United States or become a more open adversary in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The Washington Post says that at the center of the furor is Pakistan’s former ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, a highly capable representative of the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Mr. Haqqani was forced to resign his post in November and now is under investigation by the Supreme Court.

Besides the military and Mr. Zardari’s government, the third party to the dispute is the court, the paper stated.

With luck, Mr. Zardari’s government will survive until an election in March for the upper house of parliament, the paper says.

The Washington Post further writes that the Obama administration has been outwardly supportive of Pakistan’s civilian government but has often bypassed it, dealing the army and intelligence agency on matters such as Afghanistan.

There may not be much the Obama administration can do to tip the ongoing power struggle in Islamabad, and any overt attempt to intervene would probably backfire. But the administration should be hoping that Mr. Haqqani’s side wins — or at least survives, the Washington Post's editorial concluded.