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| US against ISI-Taliban nexus | | |
That the US administration is keen to see the menace of the Talibans in Pakistan and Afghanistan to end is no longer a secret after the Obama Government agreed to fund Islamabad with additional million dollars in order to egg Pakistan to launch sustained military operations against the rebels in Swat, Dir and Buner. In these operations more than 150 Talibans have been killed and over 50 Pak soldiers lost their lives because of the heavy fire power with the Talibans. The American worry over the developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan is so heavy that Pakistan President, Asif Ali Zardari, and the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, had a series of meetings with the US President, Obama, vice-president, Joseph Biden in Washington during the last two days. The US administration attached so much importance to these meetings that it arranged meeting between the Pakistan and Afghan Presidents with secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton,and Obama's special envoy, Richard Hallbrooke.In the meetings the ISI Chief,Lt.Gen.Ahemd Shuja Pasha, was present. Obama and his aides are trying to motivate Zardari and Karzai for joining hands in order to ensure success in the campaign against the Talibans and the Al Qaeda. The two may take time to cooperate because Karzai is as much suspicious of Zardari as the latter is of the former. Pasha's presence had been sought by the US administration because the American Government suspects a secret nexus between the ISI and the Talibans. The US leaders told Zardari and Pasha in clear terms that the ISI should have no direct or indirect link with the Talibans and instead support the operations launched against the Talibans by the Pakistani Army. Whatever developments have t aken place in Swat valley and its adjoining areas are the result of patronage Talibans had received from the establishment in Islamabad and the ISI.About two decades ago Pakistan would use the Talibans in kicking up border row with the Indian troops. As this patronage continued the Talibans started dictating terms to Islamabad after its control of the Swat valley, Buner and Dir was further fortified.Despite these danger signals the Government led by Zardari preferred buying peace with the Talibans to launching armed operations against them. And Islamabad agreed conditional ceasefire in Buner, Swat and Dir. It took the US administrations days together to convince Islamabad that it had potential threat in the Talibans and not in India.The US leaders explained to Zardari and his colleagues that India was not a threat to Pakistan but if Islamabad had any serious threat it was from the Talibans and the men of Al Qaeda.Even then Islamabad would have not initiated military action against the Talibans had not it come under the thick shadow of acute financial crisis. In the ongoing global meltdown Pakistan Government had no other alternative but to approach Obama for financial help. Yes, Obama was ready to provide additional funds provided Islamabad carried out sustained operations against the Talibans. Whether these oper ations are genuine or a part of the blackmail Islamabad is adept in will be clear within next three months. Over the years Pakistan has been a recepient of huge funds from the US Government and its allies in the name of helping the Afghans to fight the Soviet troops.In this programme Pakistan received heavy military aid, part of that aid was used for training and equipping militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir. For the last over 50 years Pakistan has befriended America and China simply to receive monetary and military aid. For this Islamabad has been raising the bogey of Indian threat. It is time for Pakistan Government to forget about Delhi and Kashmir and concentrate only on ending the menace of Talibans. If it is sincere in fighting these militants more countries would provide monetary and military help because the world knows that trouble torn Pakistan and Afghanistan could be a risk to peace in South Asia.
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