ISLAMABAD, 1 February 2003 — Recently, two significant developments regarding Afghanistan took place in the space of 24 hours. US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Tommy Franks visited Pakistan and Afghan opposition forces carried out the most prolonged and deadly attack on American forces based in Southern Afghanistan.

The outcome of these two developments, with direct impact on Pakistan, has been somewhat contradictory. While seeking greater military support from Pakistan for its Afghanistan operation, sections within the US establishment are also raising questions about Pakistan’s support for anti-Karzai forces, according to media leaks.

Pakistani officials strongly reject the suggestion of any official support for anti-Karzai forces.

Franks’ visit — billed as a routine consultation — was also prompted by the tension created between the two sides as a result of the border clash and the subsequent assertion by a US official about Washington’s right of hot pursuit inside Pakistani territory. On Jan. 27, Gen. Franks in his meeting with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf at General Headquarters (GHQ) sought greater military cooperation from Pakistan.

Pakistan’s top military brass were all present at this meeting. They included the Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen. Yusaf and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen. Mohammad Aziz Khan. No representative from the Foreign Office was present. More importantly, reports say that a detailed military plan was presented to the American general on ways to move forward in Afghanistan.

CENTCOM has been under repeated criticism at home for not producing more Taleban and Al-Qaeda members, dead or alive, and this pressure has been passed on by sections of the US establishment to their Pakistani counterparts. Franks again expressed to Musharraf his government’s concern about the slow progress in nabbing the Al-Qaeda men. With every attack on US forces CENTCOM leadership faces greater criticism at home.

Led by the president the Pakistani side spelt out the extent of cooperation extended to the US forces. Pakistan, which faces a continuing threat from its eastern border, has deployed the largest military contingent ever in the sensitive tribal areas of Pakistan. Almost 70,000 troops are stationed at present.

As expected, the controversy surrounding the US forces’ right to hot pursuit was also discussed. Pakistani officials understand that the official position that Pakistan completely rules out giving American troops the permission to conduct hot pursuit on its territory becomes academic when attackers come from or retreat to Pakistani soil. Against the backdrop of the dispersed presence of the anti-Karzai forces in Pakistan’s tribal areas, such an eventuality can create a major crisis for a government that remains under continuous attack for its pro-US stance.

Concerned not to be seen as blindly following the US policy, Islamabad has still not taken a firm decision on the timing of the proposed joint Pakistan-US military exercises, which Pakistan has in principle agreed to host.

Pakistan’s American connection remains complicated. Against the backdrop of an imminent US attack on Iraq, the US media campaign alleging Pakistani cooperation with North Korea and US silence on India’s military buildup, the Musharraf-Jamali government needs to do more to justify the deepening Pakistan-US connection to the Pakistani people.