Author: Editorial
Publication: Free Press Journal
Date: December 3, 2001
Though the vast paraphernalia of
terror which the Taliban and its spiritual leader, Osama bin Laden, had
gathered over the years is yet to be completely destroyed, there is no
doubt any more that the US-led alliance would finish the task at hand.
The total annihilation of the Talibans, al Qaida and bin Laden would automatically
mean a big blow to Pakistan which was the surrogate father of all three.
For sure, the fall of Kabul and other areas in Afghanistan was a great
setback for Pakistan.
In the couple of weeks before the
aerial campaign by the US jets bore fruit, armchair military strategists
and ordinary Pakistanis had rushed to pooh-pooh the US strategy against
terror. But following the fall of Kabul, the same critics are canvassing
restraint by the western alliance in going after Mullah Omar and bin Laden.
Camouflaging their real concern
for the well-being of the Talibans, these people couch their counsels in
humanitarian terms, suggesting that a prolonged campaign to smash the last
remaining fortress of the Taliban, that is, Kandhar, would result in needless
bloodshed. Mercy is not what the harbourers of terrorists deserve and it
is hoped that soon the unfinished business of flattening the forces of
terror would be completed to the satisfaction of the free, and, dare we
say, civilized, world.
However the elimination of Terrorist
Inc. headed by Taliban and bin Laden will mark only half a victory for
the US-led alliance. The other half of the problem being Pakistan-based,
the Americans would have to deal sternly with the generals in Islamabad
in order to ensure that it does not sponsor another terrorist outfit for
furthering its geopolitical interests. For, the truth remains that under
the Talibans Afghanistan had virtually become a client State of Pakistan.
It was a curious spectacle to witness
General Musharraf paying lip service to the US cause in its on-going campaign
against terror while his cloak and dagger agency, ISI, and Pakistani soldiers
fought shoulder-to-shoulder against the Americans and the Northern Alliance.
Such a dichotomy in official Pakistani policy would have been indefensible
but for the fact that in the post-September 11 phase the Americans did
not appear keen to ruffle too many feathers. But sooner than later they
would have to come to terms with Pakistani duplicity and crack the whip
against the two-timing Pak administration.
Indeed it is notable that despite
swearing by the US-led alliance against the Taliban, Islamabad continued
to be the sole nation in the world to have recognised the decrepit Mullah
Omar regime. That the so-called Taliban Ambassador in Pakistan, Mullah
Abdul Salam Zaeef, continued to address crowded press conferences till
over a month into the military campaign against his country was in itself
stark proof of Pakistani duplicity. Only when the Americans demonstrably
gained an upper hand in their military campaign did Islamabad ask Zaeef
to shut up shop and go home. And this was done clearly at the behest of
the Americans who were fed up by the propaganda by Zaeef and his deputy
at their daily press conference. Also, when it was clear that the Taliban
were no longer in a position to hold on to Afghanistan, Pakistan asked
them to close down their consulates in Quetta and Peshawar as well and
simultaneously de-recognised the Taliban regime.
While, on record, the Americans
continue to pat General Musharraf on his back for his alleged support to
their war effort against terror, there is no denying the fact that in reality
they are highly suspicious of the Pakistan Government. Their concerns also
stem from the fact that a large number of Pakistani soldiers were killed
in Afghanistan while fighting along with the Talibans.
The reported collusion between two
retired Pakistani nuclear scientists and bin Laden too was a matter of
grave concern for the Americans since they did not want the mad mullahs
to have an access to a nuclear device whether crude or refined. Given the
treacherous role of Pakistan in the war against terror, it is hoped that
the Americans in particular and the world at large would turn their attention
to that misbegotten country. Pakistan is in the grip of Islamic fundamentalists
who identify openly with the Talibans.
The current campaign against terror
in the neighbouring Afghanistan might have temporarily subdued the Pak
Talibans and marginalised Islamabad but it would be a mistake to rely on
Pakistan as a long-term ally of freedom and democracy. In sum, after settling
Afghanistan, please turn your gaze to Pakistan because it is the real hub
of Terror Inc.
