Despite President Musharraf criticizing the West for failing to understand Pakistan’s inherent political problems last week during the World Economic Forum in Davos, the United States of America is getting concerned with Islamabad’s failure to tackle the anarchy in the lawless northwestern tribal areas which is making Afghanistan unstable with each passing day. Washington’s current relationship with its traditional ally is a complex one. On one hand the Bush administration wants to see a complete return of civilian rule to the volatile South Asian country, but on the other the US knows President Musharraf is the best way to subdue a growing Islamic fundamentalism. Well, truly speaking this delicate balance that the US wants to maintain in its geopolitical relationship with Pakistan may not be working anymore.
Over the last few years, America has concentrated all the energy in fighting insurgency in Iraq. With the situation in the war ravaged Middle Eastern country getting back to normal, the White House has certainly realized the importance of preventing the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, which is being helped by Pakistan’s tribal leaders, notably Baitullah Mehsud. Now the question is how to deal with Pakistan’s mess as far as the West is concerned? It is a real dilemma, for the current situation in Pakistan just does not seem to go away. The matter is further complicated by the very fact that Islamabad is nuclear armed and there is a grave danger that the deadly weapons might fall into the wrong hands.
Sending American troops inside Pakistani territories would not be allowed by the Musharraf regime at the first place. The government knows ordinary Pakistanis have lost faith in the Americans since the events that followed after September eleventh. The Islamic world, including Pakistan, strongly believe that America’s war on terrorism is nothing but a blatant conflict against Islam. The tribal problem in Pakistan is getting complex by the very fact that rogue elements within the Pakistan army and the intelligence provide the Islamic fundamentalists with all the logistical support and moreover Pervez Musharraf’s efforts in dealing with figures such as Baitullah Mehsud have been soft for the simple reason these same figures would help Pakistan in any future struggle with India regarding Kashmir if any unfortunate event takes place.
The US is feeling the pressure to improve the situation in Afghanistan and there is every chance that the country could be on the verge of complete collapse if the Taliban resurgence is not halted. But the problem is, President Bush’s policies have made America look like an evil in the eyes of the Islamic population and as a result radical forces are able to strike chord with the local tribes and population to agitate against Western forces. Washington should now work with Islamabad to bring a strong democracy back in Pakistan. A strong democratic leader is the only one who can work towards the normalization of the tribal regions. As far as Afghanistan is concerned, may be removal of poverty is the only way to make people believe that Taliban has no future for them. Military action would come handy only when the Hamid Karzai government is able to win the valuable support of the local people.
Source: Yahoo!
