Issue No. 601
International
Previous issue
Site map
|
|
29 August - 4 Sept. 2002 Issue No. 601 International |
Current issue Previous issue Site map | |
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Whither US-Pakistani relations?
Pakistan is no longer Washington's darling, writes Iffat Malik from Islamabad
The past week has been full of contradictions for United States- Pakistan relations. On the one hand there have been statements of support for President Pervez Musharraf from the White House -- on the other hand, there are clear signs of tension in the relationship, especially from the Americans. Pundits are now asking if this is a minor blip in US-Pakistan relations or if the relationship is coming undone.
The first sign of US displeasure with its "friend" came at the beginning of last week. For some time Washington has been pushing President Musharraf to take action against Al-Qae'da and Taliban members suspected of fleeing into Pakistan's more remote areas from Afghanistan. The Pakistani government eventually responded to that pressure and sent its army into the fiercely independent tribal areas for the first time since partition from India in 1947.
Violent clashes followed the military's entrance into the tribal areas causing a large number of casualties to Pakistani troops. Despite these efforts, the American general leading the campaign to find Al-Qa'eda fighters in Afghanistan suggested that Pakistan was not doing enough, and there could be more extremists operating inside Pakistan than in the original theatre of war, Afghanistan.
Lieutenant-General Dan McNeill added that this made his task more difficult because the coalition does not have permission to conduct combat missions in Pakistani territory. The complaint underlying his comments is that Pakistan is failing to deal with the Al-Qa'eda escapees.
McNeill's comments were not well-received in Pakistan. Given the policy upheavals that Musharraf has had to undertake as a part of his new relationship with the US, it is not surprising that these comments were not received well in Islamabad. Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider led the counter-assault. Describing McNeill's information as incorrect, he said Al-Qa'eda members were "not in Pakistan but in Afghanistan where the US and its allied countries are fighting". Army spokesman Major-General Rashid Qureshi commented that if the US could not find Al-Qa'eda in Afghanistan, that did not mean they were in Pakistan
President Musharraf was more muted in his reaction. He conceded that Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Omar could have crossed into Pakistan -- but given the size of their group and conditions in Afghanistan they were far more likely to be there. "He would be much more comfortable operating and moving within Afghanistan, after all the writ of the government is not there," commented Musharraf. Many interpreted this as a criticism of the US for failing to do more to establish a stable government in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban.
The second disagreement between Washington and Islamabad came mid-week after President Musharraf unveiled the final draft of constitutional amendments. The measures amount to a huge increase in power for the president. He will stay in power for the next five years, he will have the right to choose the next prime minister, to dismiss the National Assembly, and he will head a new National Security Council which will oversee the civilian government.
Pakistani politicians, media, human rights activists and the general public were almost unanimous in their criticism of the measures. And many believe the recent referendum allowing him to hold office for five more years was rigged. Washington has remained mute on these issues until recently. "We are concerned that his (General Musharraf's) recent decisions could make it more difficult to build strong democratic institutions within Pakistan," commented State Department Spokesman Philip Reeker.
These are the strongest words to come from Washington regarding its "friend" Pakistan. But it was followed almost immediately by a completely different message. "President Musharraf is still tight with us in the fight against terrorism and we want to keep it that way," exclaimed President Bush. Bush's explicit endorsement of Musharraf could reflect divisions between the White House and State Department. More likely, it is a reminder to Pakistan that US support is not blind.
The US has become involved in efforts to resolve the long- standing dispute between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. More specifically, the US hopes to have troops withdrawn from the territory. After a series of attacks in the disputed territories last December, both India and Pakistan have maintained troops in a state of high alert in Kashmir. The US has serious concerns about a South Asian war erupting when its troops are deployed in the vicinity, and when both countries have nuclear weapons.
Hence the weekend visit to the region by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, his second in less than three months. Armitage went to India first, where he was told that infiltration across the line of control (LOC) into Indian Kashmir was still taking place with Pakistani support -- ruling out any de-escalation of troops or beginning any dialogue with Islamabad.
Shortly after Armitage's arrival in India, Pakistan accused the Indians of making an "unprovoked attack" on a Pakistan army post. Major-General Rashid Qureshi told reporters that the Indian forces were "unable to make any headway and losing dozens of personnel, the Indians in their frustration resorted to bombing the area". New Delhi flatly denied the charges, claiming that Pakistan had fabricated the account to win American sympathy and discredit India. For its part, Pakistan claimed India had launched the attack to exacerbate high tensions between the countries and deny American requests to de-escalate. The incident appears to have been contained without increased hostilities.
In Pakistan, Richard Armitage met General Musharraf, as well as the foreign minister and other senior government officials. He conceded the difficulty of his mission and the limited role the US could play. "We can offer assistance, we cannot impose a solution and should not impose a solution," stated Armitage.
On the question of continued infiltration, he admitted that incidents were occurring "but our friends here assure me that this is not being sponsored by the government of Pakistan".
This neutral comment was hardly the endorsement Pakistan was seeking, but Musharraf must have been gratified to hear Armitage thank him for Pakistan's support in tracking down the remnants of the Al-Qa'eda network.
All in all it was a contradictory week for US-Pakistan relations. Expressions of support and gratitude coupled with overt or implied criticisms from both sides. Washington is not ready to abandon its loyal ally, but the writing is on the wall -- it will not blindly support Musharraf.
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
