Pakistan no longer 'one-man show'
U.S. envoys told new government will scrutinize tactics against Islamic militants
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A key figure in Pakistan's new government told two top U.S. envoys yesterday that his country is no longer a one-man show and that President Pervez Musharraf's strong-arm tactics against Islamic militants will be scrutinized.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's comments came as Musharraf swore in a loyalist of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as the head of a new civilian government.
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher arrived in Islamabad early yesterday, held talks with Sharif, then visited Musharraf at the presidential palace.
They made no public comment on the talks.
The envoys also met with army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the chief of the military's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said.
Sharif, speaking later at a news conference, said he told the envoys that it was "no longer a one-man show in Pakistan" and that the new parliament would decide after exhaustive debate how Pakistan should approach Islamic extremism.
The new coalition formed after February's elections includes Sharif's party. The former prime minister is demanding Musharraf's resignation.
Many Pakistanis resent Musharraf's support of Washington's aggressive campaign against al-Qaida and the Taliban -- which operate in Pakistan's tribal and border regions -- claiming it has stoked a bloody backlash.
The security of Pakistan must not be sacrificed in order to protect other countries, Sharif said.
"It is unacceptable that while giving peace to the world we make our own country a killing field," he said.
"If America wants to see itself clean of terrorism, we also want that our villages and towns should not be bombed." he said.
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