April 18, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 17: US Ambassador Anne Patterson and her team have arranged briefings for political leaders, including Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, federal ministers and heads of the parties in the ruling coalition, on the full range of relations between the two countries.

This is being seen as a major shift in the traditional US policy of dealing only with the presidency and the military top brass in Pakistan.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had recently expressed the desire to engage the political government in Islamabad as Washington would engage any other democratic government. She saw a new opportunity in the change in Islamabad.

The process for taking the political leadership into confidence started with a briefing for Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday at the residence of US Deputy Chief of Mission Peter Bodde by the US ambassador and other senior officials.

“During the briefing, US officials made tremendous effort to show deference for the civilian political leadership and said nothing that could be construed as America telling Pakistan’s elected leaders what to do,” a source said, adding that the US was now showing greater sensitivity to the concerns and priorities of Pakistan’s elected leaders and people.

Similar briefings have been planned for the leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the Awami National Party.

Both the parties have indicated to the Americans their readiness to work with them.

However, PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has nominated the party’s president Shahbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to attend the briefing in his place.