KARACHI, 15 February — His meeting with President George Bush in the Oval Office at the White House on Wednesday would have been an undiluted moment of triumph if the shadow of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping had not been there but Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was amply reassured of the sympathy and support of the United States in his struggle against domestic forces of extremism.
In fact, Musharraf, while speaking to reporters after the meeting, intelligently linked Pearl’s kidnapping to his own endeavors in support of the American cause by saying that he did expect some fallout from the steps he had taken against the extremists.
In any case, the meeting of the two leaders was seen to have reinforced the new relationship that is developing between Pakistan and the US. Bush praised Musharraf once again and even though no numbers came out of the meeting, there was no doubt about the focus, during the talks, of increased economic aid for Pakistan.
Another focus, of course, was the tension between Pakistan and India and Musharraf, after saying that “we discussed everything”, appreciated the role that the American leaders had played in de-escalating the situation in South Asia.
An important topic, naturally, was the kidnapping of the American journalist and the arrest of the prime suspect Sheikh Muhammad Omar in Lahore on Tuesday was evidently an encouraging development, though it did not immediately lead to Pearl’s recovery.
Musharraf said that he was reasonably sure that Pearl was alive and that “we are as close as possible to getting him released.”
Irrespective of the outcome of the kidnapping saga, which began with the disappearance of the American journalist in Karachi on Jan. 23, Pakistan administration must have been relieved by the fact that the visit was not marred by any emotional upheaval or a severe distraction.
Eventually, though, the bilateral relationship is not to be derailed by momentary mishaps. In that sense, Musharraf has apparently enhanced his position and he is now expected to exercise his authority with more confidence.
This, however, does not ensure that the promised general elections in the country in October this year, for the “restoration” of democracy, would not generate any major surprises in the political arena, particularly in the context of Musharraf’s professed resolve to stay at the helm for five more years.
That the Americans, in spite of their avowed commitment to revival of democracy in Pakistan, would have no objection to this arrangement is becoming increasingly clear.
For the time being, the Bush administration is trying to ignore suggestions that the military ruler’s insistence on remaining the president is an infringement of democratic rules or that the coming elections lead to a “managed” democracy.
In a background briefing on the eve of Musharraf’s arrival in Washington, a State Department official said that “we are not aware of how he is going to do that”, adding that the US did not see any reason so far for censuring the Pakistani leader on that count.
What really matters for the US is that Musharraf has turned Pakistan around and has extended “wonderful cooperation” during the campaign in Afghanistan.
The visit has underlined a strong desire on the part of Washington to foster a long-standing relationship with Pakistan and, as one State Department official said, “not to repeat the mistakes of the past” by walking away.
As for Pakistan’s confrontation with India, the US has made it clear that it would continue to pursue the policy of seeing the two South Asian rivals through separate prisms, stressing that bilateral relations with one country should not affect the other.
Against the backdrop of Musharraf’s high-profile presence in the US and his meetings with the top American officials, Pakistan’s expectations of what the US should contribute to the country’s economic revival are likely to increase. Already, Musharraf was reported to have sought debt retirement and a minimum of $200 million increase in the $305 million proposed for the country in the current US budget.
Whatever Musharraf may get in Washington, he has to return to his country where, as he has himself indicated, the unresolved kidnapping of an American journalist has highlighted the threat that is posed by the forces of extremism and religious militancy.
Pearl’s kidnapping is not the only indication of how fragile the law and order situation has become. At least in Karachi, there have been fresh cases of sectarian terrorism in recent days.
Slowly, the political parties are getting into gear for the forthcoming elections and political campaigns invariably generate popular excitement that can easily drift into disorder. Pakistan and its leader may both be heading toward rough weather.
