U.S. expects Pak. to play active role

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, SEPT. 15. The next few days will be critical for South Asia, especially for Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. The Bush administration is drawing up plans for retaliation to the terrorist attacks and the first indications are that these will be severe and sustained.

Having identified the Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden, as one of the major `candidates' in the list of suspects, the Bush administration cannot stop with just the unleashing of a few Cruise missiles. The Republican administration - and for all the legitimate noises made in the last few days - must go much more than what the former U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, did in 1998.

Whatever Washington chooses to do in the next few days against Afghanistan will have a strong Pakistan component. Some see this as an `opportunity' for Islamabad to get back on the right side of the U.S. and that there will be a price.

A Cruise missile attack against Osama hideouts in Afghanistan will have to fly over Pakistan's airspace; it has been done before and the relevant noises will be made about airspace violation. But now, Washington expects much more from Islamabad, especially if the military brass here has determined to send ground forces.

An indication of what the Republican administration expects from Pakistan came from none other than Mr. Bush during his remarks to reporters on Thursday.

While remarking that he appreciated the statement of the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on terrorism, Mr. Bush said, ``We will give the Pakistani Government a chance to cooperate and to participate as we hunt down those people who committed this unbelievable, despicable act on America''. The key word here is not just `cooperate', but `participate'. If Washington goes after Osama in a major and sustained manner inside Afghanistan, it will have an extensive operation on its hands that will require Pakistan's participation in a big way. This need not mean that Pakistan troops should join hands with American elite forces but that Islamabad should agree to basing rights to facilitate movement of U.S. military aircraft, helicopters and support equipment.

Logistically the U.S. understands that Pakistan is a critical factor for any operation against Afghanistan, more than what some of Kabul's neighbouring Central Asian states can offer. Washington does not expect just sharing of intelligence information from Pakistan about the Taliban or Osama but facilitation of a major military operation.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Media against Pak. helping U.S.
Next     : Attacks on Sikhs due to mistaken identity