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| Pakistan and US back on diplomatic tightrope | | | BL KAK
NEW DELHI, FEB 28
Washington is aware of Islamabad's usefulness. Islamabad, too, is conscious of Washington's utility and relevance. Both sides are trying to further strengthen "bonds of friendship" with each other. However, signs of regrouping of Al Qaeda and the Taliban plotting a new onslaught in Afghanistan are menacing the always sensitive Pakistan-US anti-terror alliance with new strains and scrutiny.
US Vice President Dick Cheney's surprise visit to Pakistan on February 26, underscored the delicate maintenance needed in the crucial tie-up forged as the smoke cleared from the September 11 attacks in 2001. Washington, frustrated that Pakistan has been unable to flush out Al Qaeda, and gearing up for a new battle with the Taliban, must factor in Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's delicate political perch as it applies pressure.
But Dick Cheney's visit to Islamabad, and a flurry of recent statements and warnings floated in the media by the US government are a sign of growing concern, even though they are ritually couched in praise for Pakistan's role so far. "Many of our most crucial interests intersect in Pakistan, where the Taliban and Al Qaeda maintain critical sanctuaries", new US intelligence czar Michael McConnell told a congressional hearing on Tuesday (Feb. 27). He was also quoted as saying: "Pakistan is our partner in the war on terror and has captured several Al Qaeda leaders. However, it is also a major source of Islamic extremism".
White House spokesman Tony Snow said a day earlier that "a lot more needs to be done" to combat terrorist elements in Pakistan, though he added that Pakistan was committed to doing everything possible. But given the intricate US-Pakistan relationship, top US officials reject the idea Washington is taking a hard, new tone with Gen. Musharraf.
A senior Bush administration offical travelling with the the Vice-President said: "Let me just make one editorial comment here: I have seen some press reporting that says "Cheney went in to beat him up, that's wrong". The official declined to detail Dick Cheney's conversations with Gen. Musharraf, other than to note the Pakistani leader had already said that a deal with tribal factions in North Waziristan region last September supposed to cut the flow of militants into Afghanistan, had not worked out as he hoped.
Washington had last year said that the deal could work, if properly applied, but now believes its time is up. "The tribes have not abided by most of the terms of the agreement", Lieutenant General Michael Maples, US Army Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency told a congressional committee on Feb. 27. "Al Qaeda's network may exploit the agreement for increased freedom of movement and operation", he said.
Frederic Grare, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Institute for International Peace said Pakistan, which has paid a heavy price in blood for its operations in the region, may always have had a different view of the deal. "It was never meant to be working anyway on the timeframe the US had in mind", he said and added: "The gap in expectations was there in the very beginning".
However, an alternative way to fight the Al Qaeda buildup are not obvious, given political restrictions on US troops openly operating in Pakistan. The extent to which extremism is burrowed into Pakistani society is also likely to accentuate problems. Reported threats from the United States to withhold crucial aid to Pakistan without more action against extremists may also be inoperable.
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