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The screws are tightening

The screws are tightening

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.
 


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