Growing concerns of the Democrats in the new Congress and Senate over the role of Pakistan as a major ally to combat terrorism in south Asia and Musharraf completely failing to meet the promises committed to the US President forced Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday to make a sudden trip to Pakistan and convey what they say is an ‘unusually tough message’ to the President General Pervez Musharraf.
If Pakistan fails to be far more aggressive in curbing the functioning of Al Qaeda around and across the borders with Afghanistan, there are more chances that the new Democratic Congress could scratch aid to Pakistan in the future. A senior official dealing South Asian issues said,
He’s (Musharraf) made a number of assurances over the past few months, but the bottom line is that what they are doing now is not working. “The message we’re sending to him now is that the only thing that matters is results.
The United States has sent about $10 billion in aid and probably as much in covert funds over the past five years to Pakistan to curb the Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists taking refuge in their territory.
Steve Kappes, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, escorting Cheney on the trip to Pakistan clearly suggests the American contentions that Al-Qaeda camps have been reconstructed along the border of Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan shares a long 1,400 mile (2,250km) border.
Nato and the Afghan government time and again alleges the Pakistan with not putting adequate efforts to stop the frequent operations of the Talebani fighters from across the borders against them. The US and Britain troops have also expressed their growing concerns about the possible increase in Taleban fighting and the support the insurgents get from Pakistani tribes.
About 27,000 US troops are deployed in Afghanistan to battle an expected uprising by the Taleban and the militant group Al-Qaeda.
Pakistani forces may have attacked few terrorist camps and killed some of the wanted militants in the outskirt, General Musharraf’s pact with tribal activists allowing Taleban fighters complete freedom to go anywhere in the North and South Waziristan border areas comes under a great fire and scrutiny.
The US Vice President’s sudden tour to Pakistan evidently indicates the profundity of tensions between General Musharraf and Washington over poor efforts on the part of Pakistan to combat and crush Al Qaeda and the Talibani fighters. The US now appears in no mood to feed ‘white elephants’ generously and they has send a clear-cut message of ‘no pains no gains’ to the President Musharraf.
