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| America's intent |
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Friday, February 29, 2008
Both US Democratic Party presidential hopefuls, Ms Hilary Clinton and Mr Barack Obama, have indicated they believe a stronger approach to the problem of terrorism based in Pakistan is necessary. Locked in a critical one-to-one debate ahead of crucial primaries, Mr Obama spoke once more of "hunting down terror outfits" in places like Pakistan. Hilary Clinton, Senator from New York, who has considerably greater political experience than Mr Obama elected for his first term to the Senate from Illinois, stressed that she advocated a "much tougher approach" to Musharraf and to Pakistan.
The words by the two frontrunners for Democratic Party candidature, give an indication of the way Pakistan is looked at in the United States. For people in Pakistan, however, the words are ominous. For one, they suggest that the Democratic Party too sees a strong US role as essential in Pakistan. Neither of the candidates appears to realize that it is these perceptions regarding US intervention in Pakistan that is contributing to the extremist problem within it, and indeed to the rise in terrorism.
A more sagacious and far-looking approach may bring dividends. Now that Pakistan's people have given a verdict, it is important to allow the forces voted in by them to take forward the war on militancy — by building a consensus with the people of Pakistan, and particularly those based in tribal areas. Given the degree of mistrust that exists for the US across Pakistan, and the perception is that it is determining actions within the country will only complicate an already complex problem. What it is important for US leaders to realize is that Pakistan itself must be seen as combating terror on its own. To do this, the hearts of people must be won over —through persuasion, and by granting them more in terms of education, health and welfare. It is in these areas that US support can come in handy. Otherwise threats and harsh words will only aggravate the issue that currently most threatens stability in Pakistan and poses a threat to all its citizens.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
