Dichotomy seen in Pakistan’s stance on terrorism

WASHINGTON: While Pakistan remains central to the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the global effort to defeat the jihadis, its “dichotomy” puts a question mark on to the totality of its commitment to the war against terrorism.

According to an editorial in the conservative newspaper, the Washington Times on Sunday, Pakistan’s arrest of Al Qaeda operatives “highlights the dichotomy in the government’s anti-terror efforts. While Pakistani officials have been willing to pull in foreign Islamic militants, native insurgents and Taliban remnants active in and around Afghanistan, the area near the Indian-controlled Kashmir region is rarely part of the dragnet.” The editorial also criticises President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to let off Dr AQ Khan.

Taking note of the recent arrest of key Al Qaeda figures in Pakistan, the editorial said the information gleaned in Pakistan led to the arrests of 13 Al Qaeda militants in Britain. It went on to point out, “However, Pakistan has not arrested a single former Taliban leader since the September 11 attacks. The Taliban had close ethnic and institutional ties to Pakistan. Most of the Taliban were Pashtun, the ethnicity that is prevalent in Pakistan’s border region with Afghanistan. And Pakistani military and intelligence services supported the Taliban before September 11 in order to maintain a friendly government and ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan, so they could offset the rivalry with India on the opposite border. Should war ever break out with India, the reasoning went, the Taliban would allow Pakistanis to withdraw into Afghan territory. According to some observers, a majority of Taliban attacks inside Afghanistan are launched from bases in Pakistan’s Pashtun areas. And in some of those bases, Al Qaeda militants are believed to be harboured.”

The newspaper said the attacks in Afghanistan were not the only problem, since “Al Qaeda, the Taliban and Pakistani militants are increasingly converging.” Some Al Qaeda members, it said, had longstanding battlefield ties to Pakistanis and Afghans dating back to their days fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. “Now, the groups have common goals, such as evicting US forces from Afghanistan and assassinating Gen. Musharraf, who has already survived two well-coordinated assassination attempts. And an Al Qaeda-linked group has claimed responsibility for the July 30 attempt on Shaukat Aziz, the finance minister nominated to be the next prime minister.”

The Washington Times wrote, “Also problematic have been insufficient steps to counter madrassas, or Islamic schools, that inculcate hateful interpretations of Islam. While some initiative has been taken to try to motivate madrassas to adopt a more moderate curriculum, enforcement methods have not been used. Some of the worst damage Pakistan could inflict on global security has already been done. Pakistani scientists, led by metallurgist Abdul Qadeer Khan, are known to have exported nuclear technology and components to Iran, Libya and North Korea. That nuclear proliferation could have a profound and very unfortunate impact in the future. The success of the counter-terror effort depends, to a large degree, on Pakistan’s commitment. But Gen. Musharraf undoubtedly values both his alliance with the United States and his support from all ethnic and tribal components of his country. How he balances those often conflicting Pakistani interests will materially affect our progress in the war on terror. Pakistan remains central to the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the global effort to defeat the jihadists.” khalid hasan

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