Boucher to hold talks with Pakistani politicians

ISLAMABAD: The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Richard Boucher, will call on Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on July 2 just prior to the start of his make-or-break talks between the PML-N and the PPP on the restoration of the deposed judges.Credible sources told here on Saturday that in the face of the brewing political crisis in Pakistan in the month of July, Boucher’s upcoming visit was of great importance. However, an American spokesperson told this scribe that Boucher’s visit, starting from June 30, was part of the ongoing series of his “routine visits” to Islamabad.He will meet a number of people from different sections of the society during this visit. Boucher, however, may not be able to call on Asif Ali Zardari during his four-day long sojourn as the latter is on a foreign tour and will be back in Islamabad on July 5, the PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told . However, sources said the main objective of Boucher‚Äôs visit was to meet the whole political leadership of the country. During his meeting with Nawaz, Richard Boucher will discuss the current political situation, including the widening rift between the ruling coalition partners on the judicial crisis, sources said.Boucher will also discuss the ongoing operation on the Pak-Afghan border with Pakistani political leadership, an official said. Previously, Boucher had met with the PPP and the PML-N leaders in London on May 11 when the talks to resolve the judicial issue between the two major parties were on the verge of collapse. The United States, however, had distanced itself from the issue of restoration of the judges, saying it was an issue that Pakistan could best find a solution to.