ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to take up the Kerry-Lugar Bill with the US administration in a bid to avoid confrontation with other political parties and military authorities, who strongly oppose some of its clauses.

Sources in the presidency said leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), who gathered in the Presidency for the third consecutive day on Friday, reviewed the government’s stance on the issue, especially after opposition from the military authorities and political parties.

There were reports that Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, who has voiced concern about the bill, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani did not attend the meeting.

Officials in the presidency said Gen Kayani was not scheduled to meet President Zardari.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who flew back from Washington earlier during the day, briefed the President about the US administration’s point of view.

Sources said President Zardari also talked on the phone with the country’s ambassador in the US, Hussain Haqqani, and urged him to take up the matter with the US administration.

Some analysts believe Mr Haqqani may lose his office for allegedly ‘urging the US administration to include anti-army clauses in the bill.’

However, they said, Pakistan first had to convince the US administration that some controversial clauses in the bill had hurt the sentiments of the army and political circles. After that, the US administration would have to persuade the Congress to revise the bill.

‘The whole process … will take at least 18 months,’ a political analysts said.

The foreign minister assured parliament that the government would not take any decision against national interest or the country’s sovereignty.

‘Our government will never surrender our sovereignty. We shall make decisions in the national interest,’ he said.

According to a press release issued by the presidency, President Asif Zardari held a meeting which was attended by federal ministers Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Qamer Zaman Kaira, Nazer Mohammad Gondal, Babar Awan and Naveed Qamer, Ms Mehreen Anwar Raja, Farhatullah Babar, spokesperson for the president, and Rukhshana Bangash, MNA, to discuss the present political situation.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said previous US aid packages negotiated by the Musharraf regime had similar clauses, but the army had never complained about them.

‘Why this protest now?’ he asked. ‘There are proper forums like the defence committee of the cabinet and the ministry of defence for communication of such views — why this was bypassed, I don’t know.’

Foreign minister’s appeal

The foreign minister urged parliament to analyse the Kerry-Lugar bill with an open mind.

The army’s unusual public criticism of a diplomatic matter appears to have created a rift with the PPP-led fragile government, which has rejected opposition complaints that the bill undermined sovereignty.

However, analysts do not foresee an immediate showdown between the military, which has vowed to stay out of politics, and the government.