The following excerpt from a DAWN-Wikileaks cable shows how pro-America Nawaz Sharif really is. But in the words of Anne Patterson, Nawaz and his party are as close to Islamic fundamentalists as any other, and the Americans are fully aware of the Saudi line that Nawaz is supposed to toe…
GWOT Commitment
14. (C) While PPP is decidedly more vocal about the need to fight extremism, the platform of both parties stresses their preference for dialogue over military action in combating militancy. Nawaz at every opportunity has reminded us that he overrode his chief of staff to join the U.S. in the first Gulf War and criticized Musharraf for allowing the growth of Talibanization in Pakistan.
15. (C) Nawaz returned from exile because the Saudis refused to keep him any longer and reportedly wanted a counterweight to the liberal, Shia-connected Benazir Bhutto. The Saudis provided Nawaz with an armored car and reportedly lots of campaign cash. There is at least one poster in Lahore that features King Abdullah between pictures of Nawaz and Shahbaz. Nawaz's wife reportedly is quite conservative, but so is PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's wife. It is not clear that PML-N's ties to the religious parties are any stronger or more significant than those of Musharraf's party. Both PML leaders Chaudhry Shujaat and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi have connections to conservative Deobandi madrassas, and Musharraf was perfectly willing (as was Bhutto) to deal with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party.
16. (C) Comment: Zardari's initial instincts are to find practical solutions, and an alliance with Nawaz makes sense from a pure power calculus. But this is round one of what could be protracted negotiations.
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It is clear now that Nawaz Sharif and his party back the banned terrorist groups, on one hand he condemns all the terrorist activities, suicide attacks etc on the other hand he supports these militants for political support, what a paradox, but inspite of all these things i can predict that our Punjab based loyalist will vote Mian Sahib an agent of killers and murderers. I’m glad the truth is out. Nawaz is an untrustworthy individual and will never regain power because of his stubborn nature. He shamelessly lied to the nation about the facts behind his departure from Pakistan. He is indeed He is the author of Islamic radicalism in our region”. Nawaz Sharif is a protégé of the bigot Zia and also darling of Saudi Arabia. This also evident from the fact that PMLN opposed even a minor amendment in the Huddood Laws and the Law Minister Rana Sanaulah unashamedly hobnobs with the banned terrorist SSP. I would therefore go along with the supposition that Shahbaz Sharif warning enabled Lashkar Tayyaba to clear their accounts before these were frozen. It is also a bitter truth that PML-N controls Punjab, the most important and largest of the provinces. I am hoping against hope that sooner or later PPP would be able to clean its house and allow honest and capable leadership to emerge. Together with ANP & MQM, Pakistan could then have a liberal forward looking government.
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