U.S. warms to Pakistan's Sharif

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By Nasir Khan THE WASHINGTON TIMES

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan | The Obama administration is paying increased attention to Nawaz Sharif, a controversial former Pakistani prime minister who has emerged as the most popular politician in the country as its president appears to flounder.

U.S. and Pakistani analysts say Mr. Sharif's rise is due in part to discontent with President Asif Ali Zardari, who was forced to back down in a clash of wills last month and reinstate a pro-Sharif Supreme Court justice and a Sharif-led government in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province.

Mr. Sharif, 59, who leads the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), "appears to be the man of the moment," said Rasul Bakhsh Rais, professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. The "United States has realized that he enjoys broad-based support in Pakistan" and expects Mr. Sharif to play an effective role in fight against terrorism, he said.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Richard Holbrooke, President Obama's envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, met with Mr. Sharif last week in Islamabad. Mr. Sharif discussed the security situation and reportedly urged the Obama administration to change its policy regarding drone attacks in Pakistani territory.

A State Department official in Washington said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad "has been in contact" with Mr. Sharif as an "important political figure" in Pakistan. "That in no way should suggest, however, that we are backing him or 'working closely' with him," said the official, who asked not to be named because he was discussing private meetings.

Bruce Riedel, a former CIA expert on South Asia who led the Obama administration's recent review of U.S. policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the U.S. was dealing with Mr. Sharif because "there's nobody else out there. Zardari has the political strength, but it seems to be evaporating ... There is a recognition that [Mr. Sharif] may well be the next leader. Therefore, you have to deal with him."

Mr. Riedel, who was on the White House National Security Council and dealt with Mr. Sharif when the latter was prime minister a decade ago, said Mr. Sharif went along with then-Pakistani army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf in staging an offensive in the disputed territory of Kashmir and signed off on tests of nuclear weapons.

"He is much more moderate then he used to be," retired Gen. Talat Masood, a veteran political analyst, told The Washington Times. "He has become [a] more mature, enlightened and seasoned politician. He has improved a lot. His support is growing. He wants to play the role of statesman."

Gen. Masood said Mr. Sharif wants good relations with the United States, India and rest of the world.

A senior Pakistani official told The Washington Times: "It's a good thing that U.S. officials are interacting with other Pakistani leaders." He noted that Bush administration officials also met with Mr. Sharif. The official spoke on condition he not be named to avoid offending the Zardari government