TORONTO, 23 December — Who would have thought that Pakistan would become an American ally, when Bill Clinton humiliated Pakistan last year? Today the same Gen. Pervez Musharraf whom Clinton had given no more than five hours for (though he had five days for a foray into India) is being congratulated on a job well done by US President George W. Bush.
America is an incredibly fickle ally to have. They befriended the Taleban, supplying them with guns so that they could fight against the Soviets. Then they befriended the Northern Alliance in order to rid themselves of the CIA-endorsed monster, the Taleban.
Musharraf would do well to remember that the US has a very short-lived memory. For five decades, Pakistan had been participating in US-led military operations, and yet the declaration of the dictatorship destroyed the relationship instantly:
* 1960 : Gary Power flew his 1960 U-2 mission to the Soviet Union from Pakistan.
* 1971: Henry Kissinger had launched his secret trip to Peking to pave the way for Richard Nixon’s opening of relations with China.
* 1979: The Central Intelligence Agency and the Afghan Mujahedeen had waged their 1979-89 war to overturn the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan with the unconditional support of Pakistan.
When it served America’s purpose, they severed ties with Pakistan; first when Gen. Zia-ul-Haq took over and again when Musharraf appointed himself president. Clinton lectured Pakistanis about the virtues of democracy during his brief visit. Hmm. And what makes America an expert on Pakistan’s political climate? Perhaps we are not ready for democracy, with the bulk of our population living in the perpetual shadow of illiteracy and religious propaganda. And yet, Pakistan was chastised like a child, and our leadership was humiliated. At the time, America wanted to befriend India, the world’s largest democracy (population 1.2 billion), and remonstrate with Pakistan for supporting ‘terrorism’ in the disputed Kashmir region.
And now Bush acknowledges us as instrumental in ending the Taleban reign of terror over Afghanistan. As this publication goes into print, CNN is busy interviewing US senators, former national security advisers, and military personnel, all of whom are telling them Pakistan has done a tremendous service to world peace. For this new improved position that Pakistan enjoys on the international stage, we have Musharraf to thank.
He was quick to recognize the benefits of allying Pakistan with America, and even quicker in purging the top brass of his leadership of pro-Taleban supporters. His story is similar to that of Gen. Zia’s, who was first shunned for toppling the elected leader, Bhutto, and then embraced as the hero who helped wrap up the Cold War between the US and Russia.
Today, Bush continues to need Musharraf. America needs to ensure there is no pro-Taleban residue remaining in Central Asia, because Sept. 11 is still fresh in the minds and memories of US foreign policy makers. Likewise, Pakistan needs American support to eradicate the Al-Qaeda network because there is no way the country can defend two borders against unfriendly neighbors. It is enough that Pakistan must spend more than its budget allows on military maintenance of the India border, having to take similar precautions on the Afghan border would cripple our ailing economy indefinitely. It is in the interests of both countries that a friendly government be put into place in Afghanistan. This is why Musharraf has managed to garner $1 billion in aid, debt relief and military links for Pakistan. US pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue is an added bonus. No wonder India is so upset. One year ago, it was the darling of the West. Today it is a whiny little voice complaining about Pakistani-sponsored terrorism. When Musharraf took over Pakistan, he also took over a bankrupt treasury, emptied by two elected but corrupt leaders, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and a huge debt, now at a staggering $37 billion. Pakistan’s position on the international front was particularly precarious because of the 1998 nuclear blasts which led to international isolation. Military operations in Kashmir didn’t help either.
However, times change, opportunities arise and Gen. Musharraf has demonstrated without a shadow of a doubt that he knows how to make use of them. Fifty-four years after Pakistan was crafted out of India, it looks like there is a leader worthy of his title. Let us hope that this signals an era of progressive policies and the physical manifestation of the good intentions that the general’s regime brings to the international bargaining table.
