The tension on the streets of Pakistan is palpable, after the government

decided to crack down on Islamic militants occupying the Red Mosque.

The Nation, Pakistan

'Tell the Americans it's Their Turn to Do More'

"'Aggressive military action against extremists' has cost Pakistan's security forces dearly … Pakistan has suffered immensely due to its blind cooperation with the so-called 'war on terror.'"

EDITORIAL

July 13, 2007

Pakistan - The Nation - Original Article (English)

NO sooner had the government finished its operation against the Lal Masjid [the Red Mosque WATCH ], than top American Intelligence officials begin demanding that Pakistan show greater results for the billions of U.S. dollars it has received to hunt down the Taliban diehards and al-Qaeda. Their assertion that Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders are being sheltered in Pakistan's northwest - where tribal leaders sympathetic to the Taliban hold sway - is no surprise. Appearing before the U.S. Congress, Deputy Director of National Intelligence Thomas Fingar insisted that the provision of financial aid to Islamabad should be tied to the outcome of its efforts to control Pakistan's growing militancy. The observation that “the peace deal in Waziristan has not been helpful to anti-terrorist efforts” by the CIA's Director for Intelligence, John Kringen, is just a reiteration of official Bush Administration policy. Meanwhile, officials at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington are quoted as saying that since the September 11 terror attacks, Pakistan has received about $10 billion for counter-terrorism operations along the Durand Line [The Afghan-Pakistan border  ].

The Americans are well aware that “aggressive military action against extremists” has cost Pakistan's security forces dearly, and has raised concerns in the government over the potential for a tribal “rebellion.” They also have full knowledge that frequent NATO air strikes in the restive tribal areas has made an already difficult situation even more challenging for both President Musharraf and the Bush Administration. Nevertheless, the United States continues to pressure Pakistan to engage in joint offensives with the U.S. to quell the tribal insurgency, without showing any concern that such a strategy would further undermine domestic support for General Musharraf.

It's time to tell the Americans in no uncertain terms that now it's their turn to do more. Pakistan has suffered immensely due to its blind cooperation with the so-called "war on terror." As for the assertions by U.S. intelligence officials that the Musharraf Government lacks the needed authority over the northwest region bordering Afghanistan, it is again the Bush Administration that is to blame, since it has compelled Islamabad to break the peace deal it had signed with the tribesmen. There is widespread resentment in the tribal region against the government for allowing U.S.-led coalition forces to launch attacks on our territory.

Unless the government decides against joint offensives with the U.S. in the region, cabinet approval of a set of new initiatives to combat militancy and extremism in federally and provincially administered tribal areas will not work.