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September 29, 2006
Pakistan's Pseudo-War
During his recent visit to the U.S., Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf certainly played the role as a strong partner with the U.S. and Afghanistan in the war against Islamic extremism, but as the Wapo aptly frames his visit, "it will take more than charm for Pakistan to allay lingering concerns about its democratic record and allegations that parts of its establishment give support to Islamic extremists at home and in neighboring Afghanistan." The problem for and with Musharraf is that up to now, he's been long on talk and short on performance in fighting Islamic terrorism in Pakistan.
And Musharraf's performance gets an appropriate and well-earned dress-down today in Alan W. Dowd's piece at FrontPageMag.com, in which he says that the time is long-overdue to call Musharraf to task. Importantly, he notes that although some will say that pressing Musharraf opens the door to too many unknowns, that the devil we know is better than the devil we don't, it was this very mindset that got us in this mess and this war.
[...] if an effort isn't being made to achieve the main objective, or if progress isn't being made toward that objective, compromising on the particulars can compromise the overall mission. And five years after 9/11, there is every indication that Musharraf is doing just that. For example:Continue reading, "Pakistan's Pseudo-War."* U.S. forces are not free to move in or above Pakistan in pursuit of the enemy. In fact, after Bush told CNN he would send US forces into Pakistan if intelligence indicated bin Laden's presence, Musharraf rebuffed him and said he would not permit foreign troops on Pakistani soil.
* Yet he is allowing al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants on Pakistani soil. In fact, Musharraf's troops are steering clear of certain semi-autonomous tribal areas, or at best remaining in their barracks, thereby ceding territory to the enemy and creating a safe haven for terrorists.
* This very month, Musharraf's government inexplicably released more than a thousand suspected terrorists and their accomplices, including al-Qaeda operatives.
In short, Pakistan is flouting Washington's post-9/11 doctrine. And the time is long-overdue to call Musharraf to task.
Our take home message here is that so far, Musharraf's war on Islamic extremism, understanding that he is indeed having to play a balancing act to stay in power, is basically a farce.
Related: Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflicts Continue
Cross posted from Hyscience
Posted by Richard at September 29, 2006 1:11 PM
