Author: Anil Narendra
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 14, 2003
You can fool some of the people
some of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the
people all of the time. John F Kennedy's words fits Pakistan well. Pakistan
stands exposed as a leading sponsor of terrorism. It was not surprising
to see President Musharraf crestfallen during his recent visit to Moscow.
I don't know with what expectations he went to Russia, but President Putin
minced no words in reprimanding the General for his continuing support
to terrorist activities.
While praising the Pakistani leader
for trying to improve relations with Russia, Mr Putin chided the Pakistani
leader for not doing enough to halt crossborder incursions by Islamic militants
into Indian Kashmir. He made it a point to keep the Indian Prime Minister
abreast of the minutest detail during the discussion. In fact, General
Musharraf's Moscow visit was a non-starter from the time he landed in Moscow.
The Pakistani strongman's Moscow
visit took place after the equally disastrous visit of his Foreign Minister
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's visit to Washington. The Bush Administration publicly
rejected Islamabad's plea to exempt Pakistanis from special registration
process and ignored requests for resumption of arms supply. To add insult
to injury, it also suggested the onus to take steps that could lead to
talks with India was on Pakistan. These moves included controlling crossborder
infiltration, respecting the sanctity of the LoC, and responding to India's
suggestion of normalising trade relations. Compounding all this, Pakistan
was also called into account for its nuclear proliferation activity, particularly
its ties with North Korea.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell,
in his famous presentation to the Security Council recently, dropped the
biggest bombshell. Presenting the US case against Iraq at the UN, Mr Powell
said, "From the late 1990s until 2001, the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan played
the role of liaison to the Al-Qaeda organisation." Pakistani officials
initially tried to spin their way out of the by suggesting their intelligence
had worked in tandem with the US in exposing the Iraqi operation. But General
Musharraf blew the cover in Moscow and invited embarrassment by vehemently
denying that the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan was a contact point between
the Saddam regime and Al Qaeda.
Meanwhile, Italian police arrested
28 Pakistanis suspected of links with the Al Qaeda in one of the biggest
anti-terrorism operations in the country recently. Military police burst
into an apartment in Central Naples as part of a routine sweep against
illegal immigration and ended up discovering enough explosives to blow
up a three-storey building. They arrested 28 men staying in the apartment
after finding explosives, fuse and electronic detonators crammed behind
a false wall. Islamic religious texts, photos of jihadi martyrs, piles
of false documents, maps of the Naples area, addresses of contacts around
the world and more than 100 mobile phones were also found in the run-down
lodgings. A judicial source said the maps had various targets marked out
on them, including the headquarters of NATO command, the US Consulate in
Naples and a US naval base.
Closer home another blow to the
Pakistani jihadis was struck by the UAE. The authorities in Dubai have
initiated an anti-terrorist, anti-gangster operation in their country.
It is believed that the crackdown has been ordered by General Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashed al Maktoum, the UAE Defence Minister and crown prince of Dubai.
A day after detaining five mobsters of the D-company, authorities ordered
the shutdown of the Dubai office of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT).
American impatience with Islamabad
is now in the open. US Ambassador in Islamabad Nancy Powell's advice that
Pakistan must stop being "a platform for terrorism" perhaps indicates her
country's changing attitude towards General Musharraf. Speaking at a meeting
with US business representatives in Karachi, Ms Powell said, "Pakistan
must ensure its pledges are implemented to prevent infiltration across
the LoC and end the use of Pakistan as a platform of terrorism."
The US-led coalition will now realise
that Pakistan was taken as a partner because of its geography. It has become
a liability especially after the establishment reportedly facilitated the
victory of pro-Taliban, pro-Al Qaeda and anti-US Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
(MMA) in the two sensitive provinces bordering Afghanistan. With both the
US and Russia taking a tough stand against terrorism and Pakistan's role
in sponsoring it, it seems that the screws are finally tightening round
General Musharraf's neck.
