The "Goal Maze" Conference Of The President

On the surface, President Zardari's call for a Round Table Summit seems to be a very good and commendable idea. But why almost 3 years after taking charge of the nation, the President has called in such a moot.

Simply speaking the heat is on from the US Government. What the power quarters are being discreet about is the Davis issue. The main issue behind all of this sudden need for "national consensus", is this thorny immunity of Davis.

The street and the street peddlers aka "emotional leaders" are busy whipping up the American Pinata to death. I said this at another forum and I will repeat it here, it is all because he is an American, that we are seeing such broo haa haa. If he was Arbi, this ordeal would have been under the rug in no time. One of my readers comment was very aptly calling this a lottery ticket for the fundamentals.

The whole incident is rather unfortunate. It is a case of a lot of murky details and an overly worked up and negatively charged public. The spokeshole of the President has termed it as an opportunity to reach consensus on economy as well. The fact is that some how the "economy" and the Pak US relationships are intertwined. There are some who would like to perhaps avenge for Aafia or ask for a barter of some sort. That is going to be next to impossible as she has been convicted and serving her long sentence. Two totally different issues.

Chances are that US is going to repeatedly invoke the Vienna Convention and the diplomatic immunity of the accused. So it more or less looks like the handwriting on the wall. The President knows what the "goal" really is. It is to sell the idea to the political leaders of the other parties. The big "maze" begins from there. The political parties mostly wants him to take a plunge. So if truth be told, it would be perfect political move on their part to balk and let him take the heat from the US and the public. To bell the cat on this one is the real game.

The emotional rhetoric aside, the main issue here is if Pakistan is signatory to the Vienna Convention and it has to perhaps look for other avenues to save it face on both fronts internationally and at home. If Davis has to be set free, then perhaps some civil culpability of some sorts must be sought, provided there is some provision in that treaty.

Otherwise it all seems like it will be a round like a circle. President will perhaps end up where he initiated this dialogue with our so enlightened leaders and his fellow countrymen.