A day after President Pervez Musharraf quit, leaders of Pakistan's fractious coalition government squabbled over the judiciary on Tuesday, as Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani traveled to Kabul for talks with Afghan and NATO officials on cooperation against Islamic militants.Musharraf, the former army chief and key ally of the United States in its campaign against terrorism, resigned as president of nuclear-armed Pakistan on Monday to avoid impeachment.
Coalition leaders, who campaigned against Musharraf, met for several hours to set about tackling pressing economic and security problems and to discuss a new president but got bogged down over the fate of judges Musharraf purged last year. The bickering and prospects of more to come are likely to dismay investors and allies. "If they cannot agree on the restoration of the judges in a matter of days, then clearly something is not right with the coalition," said Farid Khan, an analyst at Credit Suisse.
"We cannot afford to lose months, or even weeks on these political issues. They need to get to the economy, and only a strong government can take the tough decisions needed for the economy," the Karachi-based Khan said.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a statement called Musharraf "a friend to the United States and one of the world's most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism."
Musharraf, the former army chief who seized power in a coup in 1999, announced Monday in a televised address that he would stand down.
Meanwhile, Kayani met with U.S. General David D. McKiernan, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and General Bismillah Khan, the Afghan army's chief of general staff. "The meeting reviewed the security situation in areas along the Pak-Afghan border," the statement said. "They showed satisfaction at the existing level of cooperation and reiterated their resolve and commitment to contribute towards peace and security in this volatile region," it added.
A security official said Kayani's visit to Kabul was "already planned" before Musharraf stepped down.
Kabul recently accused Pakistan's military-run intelligence service of masterminding the July bombing of the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital, in which around 60 people were killed.