US Congresswoman says PPP is ok, but Nawaz a problem

Washington, May 8 : The PPP was doing a good job in Pakistan, but former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was more of a problem and needed to be watched, said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who chairs the Pakistan Caucus on Capitol Hill.

"We should applaud PPP. They are trying to work with Sharif but they are more of a problem than PPP," the Dawn quoted Sheila as telling the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ms Lee is seen in the US Congress as an authentic voice on Pakistan with close links to the establishment in Islamabad.

Reviewing the current political situation in Pakistan, she told the panel that the "PPP wants to govern and we should give them the chance to do so." She also said that she had spoken to President Pervez Musharraf who also wanted to work with the new government but "Sharif has to be watched".

Ms Lee claimed that the PPP recognised "toppling Musharraf is not valuable because Musharraf has extensive experience of dealing with terrorism. I see no reason in moving forward in actions against Musharraf."

The congresswoman also supported the constitutional package on which the PPP was working and its efforts to engage tribal militants for seeking a negotiated settlement to insurgency in the region.

"The PPP did the right thing in moving to restore the judges and the agreement they make with tribal militants would be different from previous deals because the PPP is doing the negotiations from a position of power," she said.

ANI