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The Bush administration wants Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to hold a general election in the country rather than a referendum fortifying his own position.
An administration official speaking on condition of anonymity said Islamabad had not yet finalised the idea of holding a referendum for Gen Musharraf “There's talk of a referendum, but as far as I know, no firm decision has been taken,” said the official.
“'The U.S. wants tree and fair elections and a true democratic process. Clearly, the view here is that it (Pakistan) should hold elections through a democratic process,” and while President George W Bush and senior officials have not publicly voiced opposition to the idea of a referendum, the official said: “I think you read between the lines on what's said. I don't think you will find anything specific like that (against the referendum).” At the White house this week spokesperson Ari Fleisher reiterated Washington's concern over the border situation in South Asia.
“Relations between India and the U.S. are indeed very important. They always have been and always will continue to be. And the issue particularly involving what's happening in Afghanistan makes it even more so because of the relations between India and Pakistan, the importance of a peaceful resolution of any of the differences involving Kashmir,” said Mr Fleisher.
Marc Grossman, undersecretary for political affairs, told Congress that Washington saw potential new partners in South Asia. “Since the beginning of the war on terrorism, we have cooperated closely with Pakistan and renewed the bonds between our two countries.”
Apart from Afghanistan, he noted, “India is another country in which we are engaged in a dynamic new relationship. The Bush administration came in saying we need to do more with India and we do.
As the world's largest democracy and a nuclear power, we must ensure that the U.S. and India develop close and cordial ties.”
'The administration also sees the recent efforts for a rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a positive development. “It is clear that the Pakistanis are obviously concerned that a government that is its neighbour has significant Northern Alliance figures who have never been friendly to Pakistan, for obvious reasons,” one official said. “They've obviously got to start mending fences there.
“I don't think Indians would particularly mind. That would be expected in a next door country India would only be concerned if they felt Pakistan was again mucking around,” he claimed.
“There has been great mending of fences between Pakistan and (Hamid) Karzai, if only because Karzai is almost the last Pashtun leader left standing in Kabul,” said Anatol Lieven, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“But the mutual distrust and loathing between Pakistan and the Panjshiris is such that any reconciliation between them will be almost impossible for the foreseeable future,” he contended.
Mr Lieven also described as disastrous recent statements by U.S. army commanders that they might have to chase some Al Qaida or Taliban soldiers across the border into Pakistan. Mr Lieven recently returned from a visit to the region.
“It would be seen as a dire humiliation both to Gen Musharraf and to Pakistan. It would gravely endanger the lives of Westerners in Pakistan and make cooperation against terrorism much more difficult. The U.S. must push and help Pakistan to do this for itself,” he said.
By December last year, after the unexpectedly rapid collapse of the Taliban in the main cities, the war in Afghanistan looked as good as over, Mr Lieven said. “Today, things appear very different. The main leaders of Al Qaida and the Taliban remain at large, as do many of their followers.”
He voiced dangers of a return to
civil war and the possibility of the Al Qaida and the Taliban going back
to the Pashtun provinces. (Indo-Asian News Service)
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