Author: Liz Sly
Publication: The Sun
Date: June 22, 2003
U.S. hopes to counter anti-American
sentiment
President Bush is expected to announce
this week an aid package for Pakistan worth billions of dollars, not only
to reward Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf for his cooperation in
the war against terrorism but also to try to counter the anti-American
sentiment driving a surge in support for Islamic radicals.
The package, which would restore
Pakistan to its Cold War-era status as the largest recipient of U.S. aid
after Israel and Egypt, would be a reflection of the continued importance
the Bush administration places on its relationship with Musharraf and his
cooperation in the hunt for al-Qaida members still believed to be hiding
in Pakistan, officials say.
Details of the deal are being worked
out ahead of Bush's summit Tuesday with Musharraf at Camp David. Pakistani
officials say they expect it to be worth at least $4 billion spread over
several years. U.S. officials say only that it will be "large."
At a time when Musharraf is facing
determined opposition to his continued military rule from an alliance of
Islamic fundamentalist parties, the package is expected to boost his sagging
domestic popularity.
More than that, U.S. officials say,
the assistance would come in recognition of the urgent need to improve
America's image in a country whose record of entanglement with radical
Islamic causes is likely to continue long after Musharraf has gone.
Most of the key al-Qaida leaders
detained - including Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, both
key planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks - were found hiding in Pakistan
cities. It is believed there are many others taking advantage of the hospitality
of local militants, including, perhaps, Osama bin Laden.
Despite Musharraf's status as a
key American ally, nearly two years after the Sept. 11 attacks the public
mood in Pakistan remains overwhelmingly hostile toward America. According
to the Global Attitudes study recently released by the Pew Research Center
for the People and the Press, 81 percent of Pakistanis have an unfavorable
view of the United States, 16 percent support the war on terror, and 47
percent say they have some level of "confidence" in bin Laden.
Musharraf's decision to end his
government's support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and align himself
with the U.S. alienated many Pakistanis and contributed to the strong showing
by Islamic fundamentalist parties in October's elections. There is a risk
in the years ahead that an anti-American, anti-Musharraf backlash could
see Pakistan's government fall into the hands of radical Islamists allied
with the Taliban and al-Qaida, reversing all the gains made in neighboring
Afghanistan, analysts believe.
Even liberal Pakistanis who fear
such an outcome blame America and its unquestioning support of Musharraf
and his military rule for the advances of the Islamists.
"Supporting an authoritarian system
is in the long run a recipe for disaster," said Aqil Shah, an Islamabad-based
columnist. "It's because the military is in power that the fundamentalists
are gaining momentum."
