India wants to see strong and stable Pakistan

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh insisted on the need to have “strong and stable regime” in the neighbourhood at a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting called on Thursday in view of the recent political turmoil in Pakistan.

New Delhi preferred not to speak on the internal affairs of Pakistan but voiced concern saying strong and stable regimes in the neighbourhood are in India’s interest, and Pakistan needed to combat terrorism.

“The recent developments in Pakistan are an internal matter of the country. We never comment on internal matters of any sovereign nation,” said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who attended the meeting along with Home Minister P Chidambaram and Defence Minister A K Antony, among others.

“Yes, there is a stable government which is responsible and responsive to the situation,” Mukherjee told reporters after the CCS meeting, adding, “We do hope these issues will be resolved by their own system and mechanism so that the entire region can grow and develop together, for the common good of its people.”

The External Affairs Minister said India wants peace in the neighbourhood because the instability in Pakistan will affect the fight against terror.

According to sources, the meeting had also taken into account the implication of political instability in Pakistan on the security situation, besides the Pak government and Taliban deals in the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) and its impact on the cross-border terrorism.

This was the first CCS meeting chaired by the prime minister after he recovered from heart surgery since he underwent coronary bypass surgery around seven weeks ago.

Recent happenings in Pakistan

Situation in Pakistan got worsened after President Zardari sacked Shahbaz Sharif as the chief minister of Punjab following the Supreme Court’s order of upholding ban on Nawaz Sharif and his brother ‘Shahbaz’ from contesting elections over old charges of corruption. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz accused Zardari for being behind the ban.

Zardari government even slapped ban on Nawaz Sharif led protesting “Long March” to Islamabad to demand the reinstatement of deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary and other judges.

Defying ban and police crackdown, Sharif’s supporters and opposition political activists have joined thousands of protesting lawyers beginning a four-day march to demand an independent judiciary.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan government has imposed Section 144 prohibiting the assembly of five or more people and public rallies in view of the prevalent security situation.

The situation is still on boil as the protesters are determined to converge in the federal capital on March 16 for a sit-in at the Constitution Avenue where parliament is situated.

Theses political turmoil is also being seen for another military coup in Pakistan, which also has kept India on its toe.