As the war on terror presses forward, the United States faces the critical task of identifying international allies. For most nations this is simple, but when it comes to Islamic nations, peering through the facades and recognizing those states truly opposed to terrorism is an arduous task. Pakistan is one of these suspicious nations, and recent events have levied more reason to question the country’s true intentions.
On Jan. 17, in an address to Pakistani parliament and the Pakistani nation, President Pervez Musharraf vowed to crack down on religious extremism, strive for peace with India and prove to the world that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power. Musharraf further stated that a negative image looms over Pakistan and it must be changed. According to Musharraf, this negative image is the consequence of several elements.
According to The New York Times, Pakistan has, for years, promoted Islamic insurgence in Kashmir, an Indian-controlled area, which remains the primary source of conflict between Pakistan and India. Furthermore, Pakistan has been accused of failing to crack down on Taliban supporters along the Afghan border, spreading nuclear weapons technology to countries such as Iran, and being an intolerant society.
Musharraf stressed that Pakistan could no longer tolerate a small number of extremists damaging the country internally.
Obviously, such an address must have received a positive response from the Pakistani parliament, right? Wrong. On the contrary, the president’s vow received a chorus of jeers and even compelled many Islamic lawmakers to walk out.
What in the world is going on over there? There is absolutely no reason for any member of the Pakistani parliament to oppose the call for aggressive reform. Any reasonable person, who truly abhors the practice of terrorism and longs for peace, would have met the remarks with applause.
Though some controversy resides over the fashion in which Musharraf took office in 1999, his behavior, nearly five years ago bears no relevancy to the need of ridding Pakistan from Islamic extremists, facilitating peace talks with India and abstaining from the distribution of nuclear technology.
Days after Musharraf’s address, Pakistan’s nuclear scientists were restricted from traveling abroad, and several underwent strenuous questioning regarding U.S. allegations of leaking technology to Iran.
Similarly, this matter received criticism from parliament members and Pakistani citizens. The Times reported, “Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the acting head of the religious alliance, which holds the third-largest number of seats in parliament, called the inquiry the worst kind of victimization of national heroes to please the Bush administration.”
Understandably, Pakistanis may be wary of the United States since two Islamic countries have already been attacked. Nevertheless, given Pakistan’s dubious reputation and the fact that almost all acts of international terrorism are perpetrated by members of the Islamic faith, the Pakistani people should be more than willing to go the extra mile in clarifying to the international community their true stance on terrorism.
No rationalization or justification exists for condemning Musharraf’s reformative plan. If members of parliament oppose these positive measures, they are not serious about combating terrorism. In fact, they must support it or at least sympathize with the perpetrators. Why else would they be opposed?
Where are the moderate Muslims at and why have they not vehemently spoken out in support for Musharraf’s actions? If they are waiting for the opportune moment to speak up, it is upon them.
No one knows if Musharraf’s actions are the byproduct of succumbing to pressure from Washington or if he truly desires to change Pakistan’s reputation. Either way, his motivation is not of great concern, his political future is. Time magazine reported, “However dedicated Musharraf may now be to weeding out Pakistan’s extremists, the task will be long and dangerous.” Already, he has narrowly survived two assassination attempts, and more are likely.
The United States must take advantage of the positive steps initiated by the Pakistani president and encourage more. However, under no circumstances should Americans beguile themselves into believing Pakistan is their friend and ally. In fact, the country is far from it. As for now, the United States must keep a watchful eye on Pakistan and remain optimistic that Musharraf’s reformative measures will continue.