Musharraf Loses Credibility with America Also

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 19, 2007 – Having played games over terrorism for several years, Pakistan's military establishment now faces a crisis of credibility with the United States, despite their close military and political bonds. The gap between Gen. Pervez Musharraf's promises and his refusal to deliver has widened to an extent that his long-time benefactor feels compelled to warn him to behave, or else, suffer the consequences of playing a double game, including stoppage of military and economic aid. While Vice-President Dick Cheney bluntly told him to cooperate with NATO forces in flushing out Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who have infiltrated southern Afghanistan, both Houses of the US Congress have passed resolutions pressing Islamabad to do more than it was doing in the fight against Islamist extremists, who have crossed over in hundreds from sanctuaries inside Pakistan and are trying to destabilize the country.

Pakistan has received billions of dollars in aid from the US since 9/11 as price for supporting the global war on terror. Though the sum has already crossed $28 billion, more is on the way, including lethal military equipment, such as, F-16 fighters which Pakistan means to use only against India. US Congressmen, as well as, intelligence agencies have told the Bush Administration that all this money has gone down the drain because Pakistan is now more actively involved in nurturing Islamic terrorism.Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin has said in utter frustration that long-tern prospects for eliminating the Taliban threat appeared dim, so long as the sanctuary remains Pakistan, and "there are no encouraging signs that Pakistan is eliminating it."

Nobody believes that the so-called peace deal entered into by Gen. Musharraf with Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders and their tribal sympathizers has the remotest chance of success. In fact, Al Qaeda and Taliban training and related facilities have increased as a result of the "surrender" deal. Washington now seems to be considering reducing its dependence on the ability of Musharraf to fight terrorism and taking recourse to alternative strategies. It has replaced the commander of its forces in Afghanistan and the appointment of Gen. K. M. McNeili has been welcomed by the Afghan Government. "We will quit neither post, nor mission until the job is done," he said on the eve of launching the much-awaited Spring offensive against Taliban in Helmand and other southern provinces. With President Hamid Karzai having gone to town condemning Pakistan for promoting terrorism to destabilize his government, his Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta publicly accuses Islamabad of "using terror as its foreign policy. Under Taliban, Pakistan virtually controlled 80 per cent of Afghanistan's territory," and it is trying hard to establish its hold once again. He regrets that some countries are "rewarding" Pakistan with economic and military aid even after getting solid proof of its active involvement with Al Qaeda and Taliban.
The NATO forces and Afghan Government are convinced that part of the Pakistani establishment supports all or some of the extremist and terrorist groups operating in and out of that country. These include, apart from Taliban and Al Qaeda operating from Waziristan and Balochistan, other extremist groups which wholly sympathise with them, such as successors to ex-Sipah Sahaba Pakistan, Lashkar Jhangvi, Harkatul Mujahideen and Tehrikul Mujahideen. Together they constitute a lethal force that seems determined and inspired by the success of a similar strategy in Iraq. Gen. Musharraf conceded his Army's involvement in cross-border terrorism when he spoke of "Some members of the forces looking the other way while militants were crossing the border." The sympathy of the Islamist forces and the Army has undermined the war on terror. Obviously, Gen Musharraf needs the extremist parties for his political survival. Such duplicity has made Pakistan suffer from a crisis of credibility. Washington has now made it clear that the military establishment will have to stop playing games if it wants to remain a large recipient of US military and economic aid.

Despite Islamabad's denials, NATO forces have been chasing fleeing Taliban across the international border and it is only when a serious incident taken place, involving civilian or military casualties along the border on the Pakistani side, that Islamabad gets into the denial mode. As Gen Douglas Lute testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, though Pakistan had not given express permission, the US forces had the authority to pursue fleeing Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters "either with fire or on the ground across the border". Even if they demonstrated hostile intent just across the border, the US "would not wait for the rockets to be fired, but would engage them."