WASHINGTON, 28 May 2004 — Pakistan’s efforts to root out terrorism have won international recognition and accolades. A far better understanding prevails in the US now of the problems Islamabad is facing in dismantling terrorist networks.

The US government and the American people are aware of the role Pakistan is playing as a front-line state in the war against terrorism, and President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali have become familiar faces in the US.

The operation against terrorists in Wana, South Waziristan, has bolstered Pakistan’s image, with the American media giving wide coverage to the operation.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s visit to Pakistan on March 17 heralded a new era in the relations between the two countries. During his visit Powell declared “Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally of the United States”.

That status, when formally approved by Congress, would place Pakistan among the states eligible for American defense equipment on a preferential basis.

The new US move is seen as a manifestation of the success of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The government of Pakistan took a wise decision in siding with the US-led coalition during the war in Afghanistan.

The government’s decision to join the war on terror and its crackdown on militant groups have cost Islamabad a large number of lives and damages in million of rupees, and terror groups hit by the crackdown have carried out bomb blasts in retaliation.

The operation in Wana to flush out terrorists hidden there has netted a large number of suspects.

Most of the tribes support the government action, but some have also provided shelter to terror suspects.

Overseas Pakistanis, especially those living in the US, endorse President Musharraf’s decision to crack down on militant and extremist groups. They also appreciate the economic policies of the government that has seen the foreign exchange reserves rise to over $12 billion. The economy is likely to register a six-percent GDP growth.

Pakistan’s popularity in the US can be gauged from the fact that at a Pakistan Day function in New Jersey, the mayor of the city issued a proclamation declaring that Pakistan Day would be observed there every year.

A former mayor of New Jersey at the function praised the members of the Pakistani community for their role in the development of the US.