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Thursday, July 03, 2008
During his visit to Pakistan, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher has focused primarily on assessing the political mood in the country and offering a reminder that Washington's gaze still remains keenly focused on the country. Boucher, in his meetings with Prime Minister Gilani and other leading members of government, has also made it clear the US is not pleased with the performance of the coalition partners and believes their mutual squabbling is detracting from the central issue of battling terrorism. The clearest message in this respect was delivered by Boucher in his meeting with Mian Nawaz Sharif in Lahore. Making it clear that he believed the partners in government should follow a single line of policy – which did not involve the impeachment of President Musharraf – Boucher asked Sharif to abandon this attempt. He is reported also to have suggested the issue of judicial restoration was less crucial than winning the war on terror. In return, Nawaz retorted with a comment about the US avoiding intervention in the internal affairs of the country.
Sharif of course is justified in this. The reality though sadly is that US interest in Pakistan is likely to remain intact for some time to come. It is unlikely it can be shaken off any time soon. And indeed, the fact also is that in this point in time, Pakistan does need US backing to combat the problems it faces on many fronts. What the US does need to be made to realize is that it is confusing two issues. The battle on terror will not be affected by the exit of Musharraf. Indeed, the political forces may do better against militants in the absence of the man under whose command militias of all kinds have crept up and gained sufficient strength to capture territory by force. It is odd that the US seems not to have raised this matter more stridently with the man it still sees as its key ally in Islamabad.
There is also another aspect to this. Given the scale the war on terror has assumed, it is necessary that the people be involved in it and popular backing be obtained for government actions. This task the political parties are best suited to achieving. In this regard, the judicial issue too cannot be completely separated from everything else. Since it, in one way or the other, appears to have become a populist issue – it needs to be resolved so that people feel parties are willing to deliver on their promises. This, in turn, may make them more likely to support and trust the government on other issues.
The problems Pakistan faces today are complex. Richard Boucher, who also met the COAS to discuss strategy against terrorists, is correct in identifying militancy as a key issue among these. But the problem is that a holistic approach needs to be adopted to solve the dilemma Pakistan faces. Each strand within it is woven with the other. They cannot be unravelled in isolation. It is also true that political parties may be best able to read the pulse of people and take them along in this effort. It is as such important not to try and dictate terms to them but encourage them to do all they can to ensure Pakistan is not over-run by the maddened militants who have already created so much havoc in the north.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
