The Hindu Business Line : US-Pakistan: A pampering relationship

The symbolism of the proposed sale of F-16 aircraft by the US to Pakistan cannot be underestimated when terror is still the instrument of state policy for Islamabad. Given the astonishing forbearance of Washington in dealing with a Pakistani terrorist involved in kidnapping American tourists in India, the killing of an American journalist in Karachi, the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington and the attack on Indian Parliament, New Delhi would do well to be more pragmatic about the so-called change in Pakistan's support for terrorism, says G. Parthasarathy.

WHILE concern has been voiced recently in India about the prospects of the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan by the US, the new Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tyagi, has indicated that the Indian Air Force can handle the situation even if new F-16s are acquired by the Pakistan Air Force.

While this may be true in purely military terms, the political and diplomatic symbolism of the supply of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan cannot be underestimated, especially at a time when the Pervez Musharraf dispensation continues to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy and over sixty terrorist training camps for induction of new jehadi elements into Jammu and Kashmir still operate freely across the Line of Control.

Barely a day after the Army Chief, Gen Nirmal Vij, announced that the Army could consider further reduction of troop levels in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba staged a fidayeen attack on the Income-Tax office in the heart of Srinagar.

In symbolic terms, the supply of F-16s to Pakistan demonstrates American readiness to strengthen Pakistani nuclear delivery capabilities.

The US would thus be partnering China and North Korea, which have provided Pakistan with nuclear-capable missile systems.

Mr Kaushik Kapisthalam, a strategic analyst in the US, recently quantified the extent of American military assistance to the Musharraf dispensation after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He notes that soon after 9/11, the US provided Pakistan with $600 million of emergency assistance to save Pakistan from defaulting in repayment of foreign loans.

This was followed by writing off $1.5 billion of Pakistani debt, pressure on the IMF to pay over $1.5 billion for poverty reduction, pressure on Western donors for rescheduling the bulk of Pakistan's $38-billion external debt and annual economic assistance of $500-700 million.

Pakistan received a total of over $1.1 billion as military and economic assistance in 2002 alone. It received $1.32 billion as military assistance between January 2003and September 2004.

The US pays Pakistan $100 million every month for using military bases and facilities on Pakistani territory. India could not object if such assistance moderated Pakistani behaviour and included disincentives for Pakistani assistance to terrorism and its involvement in missile and nuclear proliferation. But it does seem that the US has resorted to a policy of unquestioningly providing lollipops to the Musharraf dispensation, instead of adopting a carrot-and-stick approach.

Not too long ago, skeletons started tumbling out of Pakistan's nuclear proliferation cupboard. Pakistan was found to have transferred design and know-how for manufacturing nuclear weapons to Libya, North Korea and Iran. This would have automatically invited mandatory sanctions against Pakistan under the US law. But to prevent a "key ally" from facing such sanctions, an elaborate charade was enacted.

All the proliferation that took place for over 15 years was attributed to a malevolent "Khan Network" headed by Dr A. Q. Khan, the Father of Pakistan's "Islamic Bomb". The fact that not a pin could leave the Kahuta Laboratories or a scientist travel abroad without the specific sanction of the Pakistan military was conveniently ignored.

Also ignored was the fact that nuclear transfers to North Korea started only after a visit to Pyongyang by the then Pakistani Army Chief, Gen Jehangir Karamat, now Pakistan's envoy to Washington. Gen Karamat was ironically recently described by luminaries like Strobe Talbot as a person of unquestioned "professionalism" and "integrity"!

On December 31, 1999 India released three hard-core terrorists — Masood Azhar, Omar Syed Sheikh and Mushtaq Zargar — at Kandahar airport to end the hijacking of an Indian airlines flight.

Masood Azhar went back to a hero's welcome in Pakistan, where he set up the Jaish-e-Mohammed, vowing to wage jehad and bring India to its knees. India has conclusive evidence of the involvement of the Jaish in the December 13 attack on Parliament.

Omar Syed Sheikh was arrested for his involvement in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi. He was sentenced to death. Even though sentences of anti-terrorism courts in Pakistan are expeditiously confirmed and implemented, Sheikh's appeal still lies pending over the years. Eyebrows were raised when Sheikh surrendered to an ISI official, Brig Ejaz Shah, in Lahore and not to the police.

Brig Shah was known to be a protégé of Generals Musharraf and Aziz Khan. Brig Shah's subsequent nomination as High Commissioner to Australia was rejected by the Australian Government. He is now Pakistan's Ambassador to Indonesia. Ambassadorial appointments are normally given in Pakistan to retired Generals and not low-ranking ISI brigadiers.

It has now been reported by a respected Lahore-based Pakistani journalist Amir Mir that during his interrogation by American and Pakistani investigators, Sheikh revealed that he had been on the payroll of the ISI and that the terrorist attacks on the Kashmir State Assembly building in October 2001 and Parliament in December 2001 had the backing of the ISI.

Amir Mir has also confirmed that Omar Syed Sheikh transferred the $100,000 that had been provided to him by the then ISI Chief, Gen Mehmood Ahmed, to Mohammad Atta the leader of the hijackers involved in the 9/11terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. He also alleges that the FBI believes that Omar met Atta during one of his visits to Kandahar and knew of his plans for the 9/11 terrorist strikes.

All this reveals an astonishing measure of American forbearance in dealing with a Pakistani terrorist involved in kidnapping American tourists in India, killing an American journalist in Karachi, the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington and the attack on the Indian Parliament.

There does appear to be a conspiracy of silence on this score, because Syed Omar Sheikh is evidently a man who knows too much and can embarrass both the Musharraf dispensation and the Bush Administration.

Despite evidence to the contrary, New Delhi seems in a hurry to show that its policies have resulted in significant changes in Pakistani support for terrorism in India. It is true that there has been reduction in levels of infiltration across the LoC. This reflects a tactical and not a strategic change in Islamabad's thinking. Amongst the factors leading to the reduction in infiltration is the involvement of Masood Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed in attempts to assassinate Gen Musharraf.

There are reportedly around 30 Pakistani army soldiers facing the death penalty in court martial proceedings for involvement in such attempts. A Pakistani Jawan, Islam Siddiqui, who has been convicted on this score, was an active member of the Jaish-e-Mohamed. He was associated with the Jaish in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Quite obviously, the Pakistan army is ensuring that those it trains for terrorism in J&K do not share the ideological inclinations of sepoy Islam Siddiqui!

The Lashkar-e-Taiba remains the favourite of the ISI, with the focus now moving away from indiscriminate killings, to targeted attacks on security forces and politicians of mainstream political parties.

It is true that Washington has used its considerable clout to moderate Gen Musharraf's enthusiasm for jehad in Kashmir. But these developments appear to confirm that one can only expect limited cooperation from the US on sharing information relating to terrorism directed against us. One can only hope that when Ms Condoleezza Rice replaces the consistently anti-Indian Colin Powell as Secretary of State, there will be a greater measure of American cooperation and understanding forthcoming on such issues.

(The author is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan.)

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