So! The day has come, Dubya to land on Pakistani soil at Chaklala in a few hours.
Right now he’s giving a final speech in Delhi after returining from a 4 hour trip to Hyderabad by chopper.
The tone of his speech right now reflects the tone of the entire trip to India; he made the Indians happy, didnt give them all they wanted, confused them about some (UNSC), almost gave them some they want (nuclear plant agreements) contingent on certain aspects involved like the congress and the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty etc. Some talk about F-16s and F-18s. http://dawn.com/2006/03/03/top3.htm
Now let’s see what he has to offer Pakistan. The blast at Karachi yesterday didn’t seem to bother him much, or atleast he didn’t make a situation out of it. Good for Pakistan.
The Indian media, as well as the International media refrained from discussing Kashmir at the press conference yesterday. The only mention was limited to Bush saying Musharraf and Manmohan are good leaders and should come to some solutions. Even no mention of Iran. Surely enough that won’t be the case at Pakistani conferences where he’s bound to face tougher, more realistic and significant questions concerning a wider range of issues.
Right now Islamabad is completely decorated and brightly lit and ready to receive Bush. Let’s see if the govt outdoes the recent reception given to King Abdullah!
So let’s see how the US president’s trip to Pakistan, an extremely important strategic ally goes. The last time a US president visited was in the first quarter of 2000 if i remember right when Clinton stopped over for just a few hours, in a way belittling the then Pakistan.
Pakistan sure has come a long way since then.
I didnt know this bit of detail about Clinton’s landing details from his trip. He didnt come here in the AF1.
*“I will meet with President Musharraf to discuss Pakistan’s vital cooperation in the war on terror and our efforts to foster economic and political development so that we can reduce the appeal of radical Islam,” Bush said shortly before arriving in Pakistan. *
*“I believe that a prosperous, democratic Pakistan will be a steadfast partner for America, a peaceful neighbor for India and a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world.” Later, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters that Bush meant to say Pakistan would be a force in the Muslim world. Pakistan is not an Arab country.
The opposition leaders have excused their patriotic and constructive selves from even attending the banquet in Bush’s honour let alone meet him. Good for them, good for us. What have they done other than this since they gained the important status of an opposition…? They call their selves politicians, even a trade union leader would know how to make constructive use of the opposition benches. But all apears hazy when the power chair is the only agenda…
Meanwhile Bush won’t be meeting Shoukat Aziz seperately. That’s fine.
*
“George Bush is the fifth US president to visit Pakistan. Former US presidents Clinton, Nixon, Johnson and Eisenhower visited Pakistan in 2000, 1969, 1967 and 1959 respectively. Two former US presidents, George Bush senior and Lyndon Johnson, also visited Pakistan as vice presidents in 1984 and 1961 respectively.”* http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C03%5C03%5Cstory_3-3-2006_pg7_2
There is nothing new Bush has to say about Kashmir. It is a bilateral issue and the US will help in anyway it can. That is exactly what he will say in Pakistan as well.
Bush's 'plane landed at Islamabad in complete darkness.
All streets which Bush may conceivably use are closed to public already (blah!).
His motorcade sped through at speeds of 100 mph from the airport.
And... get this....
Bush was not even travelling in his motorcade. He flew by a BlackHawk helecopter directly from the airport to the US Embassy where he is spending the night.
In guest-speek, this is called a very high-maintenance guest. I wonder why couldn't he have slept peacefully in New Dehli for the night, and then just come to Pak in the morning and spend the day?
And I don't live in Islamabad, but I kinda feel for the poor people there who are forbidden from using several streets because Bush may travel on those. Having lived in Lahore for many many years, I can understand the frustration and anger this kinda road closures create in people. Not that Bush needs to create any more ill-feeling amongst Pakistanis. The size of demonstration on the streets was telling most of the story.
Blitz,
I guess in India the situation with journalists was more intentional rather than forced. We can atleast hope our local media-gunners who are ever so piercing with their questions and views regarding local leaders will have the gut to face Bush in a similar professional manner.
On the other hand if it's really going to be a case of forced luke-warmth, we could only feel disgusted. Which I hope doesn't happen.
By the way, to be perfectly honest, I don't really care for F-16's, and Kashmiris can sort it out themselves... all I want is for Bush to announce that Pakistani mangoes can now be imported to United States... ahh... Sindhri, Anwer Ratol, Chaunsa, dusehri.... !!!
True, he sure turned out to be a high maintenance visitor and with islamabad being much smaller than Karachi or Lahore the closures and blockades will be all the more frustrating.
It was surprising to see Shoukat Aziz and Musharraf both preferred to stay away from the airport to receive him...
He did mention indian ones in his speach, so if he really loves us as much as he says he does, he just might mention ours too. hold your breath Faisal bhai!
