Pakistan and Clinton:
Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, /Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned - William Congreve, The Mourning Bride -----JPR
Now the RUB-IN --JPR
excerpt
Since the days of Mark Twain, who described India as "the land of dreams and romance", India has captured the imagination of the Americans and Mr Clinton is no
exception. He is deeply interested in seeing India which "is a missing link in his life - both presidential
and personal", as Madeleine Albright summed up his fascination for that country.
Prospects for Clinton's visit
dawn.com
By Afzal Mahmood
DESPITE a series of setbacks - the fallout of the hijacking of the Indian plane, the increasing US
concern about South Asian terrorism and the heightening of tensions between New Delhi and
Islamabad, the prospects for President Bill Clinton's visit to Pakistan remain bright.
A number of signals emanating from Washington have made it clear that the foremost US concern
vis-a-vis Pakistan at the moment is neither the restoration of democracy nor the signing of the CTBT
but the terrorist activities in the South Asian region. During his press briefing on February 2, National
Security Council spokesman David Leavy made it clear that "terrorism" tops the list of US concerns in
South Asia. In response to questions about why a visit to Pakistan has not been included in the
itinerary so far, Leavy listed the US concerns in order of priority: "Our long-standing concerns on
terrorism, [nuclear] proliferation and the restoration of democracy have been made clear to the
Pakistanis."
He went on to say that the "partnership" with Pakistan would "move forward, deepen and broaden" if
there was "progress" on fighting terrorism. He further elaborated his point by adding: "Working with
the Afghans, the fight against bin Laden more generally, is the progress I am talking about today." That
restoration of democracy or even proliferation are not the top US priorities at the moment was made
further clear by Leavy when he said that terrorism was a "core issue" for the United States.
"Fighting terrorism is one of the pre-eminent threats to our own security; the President talked about
that in the State of the Union [message] just last week. And as we move forward and continue to
engage the Pakistanis, this will always be on the agenda."
The US Senators and Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth, who recently visited Islamabad,
also shared Washington's concerns about terrorism in their discussions with the Pakistani side. In reply
to a question at his press conference, Karl Inderfurth said Pakistan's support to the Taliban was a
matter of concern for the United States as they "harbour and protect" Osama bin Laden and his
continued presence and "network" in Afghanistan was a threat to the international community.
Inderfurth went on to say that the US hoped that action would be taken to address the issue of
terrorism which "we believe affects Pakistan's long-term security interests as well as those of the
international community."
Though New Delhi has failed to get Pakistan declared a "terrorist" state, it has succeeded in exploiting
American sensitivities about terrorism and in forging "counter-terrorist" links with Washington. The
first meeting of the Indo-US working group on counter-terrorism was held in Washington on February
7-8 to decide some "cooperative measures" which would figure in President Clinton's discussions with
Mr Vajpayee during his visit to India next month.
It is, however, a matter of satisfaction for Pakistan that, despite strenuous Indian lobbying, the US
does not see the Kashmir conflict as an international terrorism issue. Though Washington has, on a
number of occasions, condemned terrorist actions that have taken place in Kashmir, it has not
characterized the Kashmir conflict as a terrorism issue. On the contrary, Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright has made it clear that President Clinton's upcoming visit is "not a sign of absolute approval" of
New Delhi's policies and Washington "continues to have very serious concerns about the issues of
non-proliferation and about the dealings on Kashmir."
Testifying before the Senate's foreign relations committee on February 9, Albright described Kashmir
as a fuse and the South Asian region a tinderbox as a result of the Kashmir issue and called for an
India-Pakistan dialogue on Kashmir "with whatever assistance we can give." Much to the dismay of
New Delhi, Clinton has described South Asia as "that troubled part of the world" and expressed his
"profound concern" about the discord between India and Pakistan on Kashmir and said that he hoped
to do something to ease it before leaving office. It is, however, doubtful if, with only eight months
remaining of his tenure, President Clinton will have sufficient clout to prevail upon the Indians to start a
meaningful dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir.
Yet, the fact remains that India will be the focus of Clinton's attention during his upcoming South Asian
tour. While he will visit Bangladesh for a day, he will stay in India for five days - perhaps his longest
visit to any country as president. Since the days of Mark Twain, who described India as "the land of
dreams and romance", India has captured the imagination of the Americans and Mr Clinton is no
exception. He is deeply interested in seeing India which "is a missing link in his life - both presidential
and personal", as Madeleine Albright summed up his fascination for that country.
But, of course, his high-profile visit, the first by a US President in 22 years, will extend far beyond
sightseeing and social contacts, because President Clinton and Prime Minister Vajpayee will be
discussing the contours of the new relationship that both countries are seeking to forge.
Summing up the purpose of his visit to India Clinton says: "We have an enormous common interest in
shaping the future with them." The Americans see India as an emerging economic powerhouse, with
sustained growth rates of over 6 per cent a year and having what is arguably the largest middle class
population anywhere in today's world. But Washington's interest in India is more than economic
because it sees New Delhi as a player in the larger Asian context. Given the uncertain future of
Sino-US relations and the likely emergence of China as America's competitor, both militarily and
economically, Washington may have decided to back up India's big-power ambitions in and outside
the region.
An indication of the new American approach to India was provided by Washington when it rewarded
New Delhi by lifting most of the post-Pokhran test sanctions despite latter's nuclear weapons
programme and aggressively motivated defence purchases.
Unless there is a major shift in US South Asian policy at the expense of Pakistan, which does not
seem to be on the cards, there are compelling reasons for President Clinton to include Pakistan in his
South Asian tour. Pakistan continues to be important for the United States because it is a major
Islamic country, situated in a region which is strategically very important for Washington. It is a link,
both economically and politically, between the Indian Ocean littoral countries and Central Asia. It is
also important because it has not only significant human and economic resources, but also the potential
to be a progressive and forward-looking democracy.
Pakistan has historically been a friend and ally of the United States. And last, but not the least, it is the
only Islamic country that has successfully mastered the nuclear weapon and missile technology.
SIBLING RIVALRY ---JPR
If Clinton skips Islamabad and goes to New Delhi on an extended visit, it will amount to a big snub for
Pakistan, indicating a sharp tilt in favour of India. That will exacerbate antagonism between the two
rivals, something which the US President would be the last person to want.
If President Clinton is deeply concerned about Indo-Pakistan discord and thinks that the potential for
conflict is far greater than is commonly understood and hopes to play a peace-maker's role before he
retires, then he has to include Pakistan in his itinerary because seeking peace necessarily involves
talking to both sides. Speaking to reporters on February 9, Clinton said: "We haven't made a decision
on the final itinerary yet, I want to make a trip which maximizes the possibilities not only for
constructive partnership for the US in the years ahead but even more urgently for peace in that
troubled part of the world."
Veiled threat-JPR
The extremist and fundamentalist elements in Pakistan will be very pleased if Clinton bypasses
Islamabad as that will increase anti-American feelings in the country and also weaken the resolve of
General Pervez Musharraf to curb terrorist activities of the militants, which have given Pakistan a bad
image and reputation in the international community. Washington expects Pakistan to take steps
against extremist groups which carry out acts of violence in Pakistan as well as in the region and also
pose a threat to US interests.
Terrorism being the core issue for the United States at the moment, any progress on this matter,
whether on Pakistan's domestic front or beyond the Durand Line in relation to Osama bin Laden, will
ensure the inclusion of Pakistan in President Clinton's itinerary. General Pervez Musharraf's planned
visit to Kandahar to see Taliban leader Mullah Omar will, therefore, be watched with keen interest.
Irrespective of the results achieved, the visit will send a positive signal to others that Pakistan is
opposed to all manner of terrorism in any part of the world. The initiative is bound to create a
favourable impression on Washington. |
