|
|
| Friday, June 9 , 2000 -- Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1421 A.H. | |
TODAY'S NEWS
UPDATE WEEKLY NEWS ON
SUNDAY
BACK
ISSUES |
Pakistan's progress on key issues slow: US Inderfurth says Pak support to Taliban very troubling; asks Pakistan, India to forget past to resume talks; Maleeha defends Pak stance By Amir Mateen WASHINGTON: US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl F Inderfurth believes "if Pakistan's (Chief Executive) Gen Musharraf and India's (Prime Minister) Vajpayee could transcend the past, the problem of Kashmir can be resolved." Inderfurth spoke at length about the issues that beset the relations between Pakistan and the US at the annual function of Pakistani-American Congress, an umbrella congregation of various Pakistani organisations here. While the contours of Inderfurth's wide-ranging presentation were almost consistent with the often-stated US position, a change of tone was clearly discernible on some issues. For instance, this time around he was even harsher than before on Taliban, saying: "The US has serious concerns about Pakistan's Afghan policies and its support to Taliban." Though showing understanding of the difficulties that the Musharraf government faced in implementing its reform agenda, he regretted that there had not been "much progress in addressing these issues." While Education Minister Zubaida Jalal watched from the sidelines, Inderfurth and Pakistan's Ambassador in Washington Maleeha Lodhi staged a polemics of sorts. Although both read from their written speeches (except for the question-answer session) the contents were woven around the same topics, as if Maleeha was responding to Inderfurth's queries, or vice versa. It was interesting how the two sides stuck to their positions and yet found some common ground. Inderfurth said the US has asked New Delhi to "consider very seriously" to resume dialogue with Islamabad in response to General Musharraf's repeated offers. However, he reiterated the US position for Pakistan to create a congenial atmosphere for talks - diplomatic jargon for asking Pakistan to stop its involvement in Kashmir, by reciprocating the Indian gesture of releasing Kashmiri leaders. Maleeha's response was quite apt. In her speech, she said that a policy of eliminating resistance by repression would not end violence in Kashmir, as called for by President Clinton. "Nor is India's grudging release of arbitrarily arrested Kashmiri political leaders a sufficient indication that India has resigned from its coercive approach in Kashmir. More categorical indications are needed: "Such as an end to the policy of "crackdowns", arbitrary arrests, torture and mass reprisals in Kashmir and release of the thousands of Kashmiri youth being held in Indian detention centres and jails. If India were to genuinely give up its policy of repression in Kashmir, Pakistan's chief executive has declared that we will do everything possible to persuade the Kashmiri freedom fighters to reciprocate." On Afghanistan, Inderfurth said: "We find Pakistan's support to Taliban in Afghanistan very troubling. The Taliban give shelter to Osama Bin Laden and other 'terrorists', and militant groups that are escalating violence in Kashmir also find refuge there. We urge our friends in Pakistan to do all they can to deal with the scourge of terrorism in their own country, in Afghanistan under Taliban, and wherever else they can help. We have also urged Pakistan to use its undoubted leverage with Taliban to persuade that group to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan. Yet, Pakistan remains Taliban's most important supporter, minorities, women and girls suffer harsh treatment and the bloodshed continues in a civil war that appears to have no end." Maleeha was equally forceful in her response, saying: Afghanistan "lies in ruins with our own social fabric and economy damaged and undermined by the blow back from across our Western frontiers. There is a need for the international community to engage not confront the Taliban government. We believe that economic reconstruction efforts are the way to address Afghanistan's instability. Taliban, we are confident, will appreciate a helping hand rather than threats and sanctions. On our part we will seek more strenuously to urge them to moderate their policies. General Musharraf has himself committed to visit Kandahar and meet Mullah Omar to urge him to address issues of concern to the international community, and to us, including finding a resolution to the Osama Bin Laden dispute." On the non-proliferation front, Inderfurth said: "We have seen little progress since the nuclear tests took place over two years ago. Efforts to build a consensus in Pakistan on signing CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) have stalled. Progress on other issues - such as export controls, strategic restraint, and constructive participation in Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty - is limited." He hoped that the upcoming meeting between Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in Washington "can provide a fresh impetus to our work in the area." Maleeha's response was that "Pakistan and the US share the aim of restraining a nuclear and conventional arms race in South Asia. For Pakistan, an open-ended nuclear and conventional arms race would be ruinous. Such an arms race would be extremely destabilising. It would compromise global non-proliferation objectives and the aim of promoting prosperity in South Asia. Pakistan has proposed a strategic restraint regime whose three elements are nuclear restraint, conventional arms control and conflict resolution." On relations between Pakistan and India, Inderfurth observed that until "there is peace and reconciliation, both the countries would be held back, especially the smaller of the two, Pakistan." Stressing that in the US view, "the Kargil incident, did great damage to the prospects for reconciliation symbolised by Lahore." Inderfurth nevertheless asserted: "While Kargil cannot be forgotten, we believe that it can and should be transcended." Maleeha said the US must continue to play a role to facilitate dialogue between Pakistan and India "to promote conflict resolution and address the causes of tensions between India and Pakistan. It has always been evident that a peaceful solution to Kashmir will have to be based on the freely expressed wishes of the Kashmiri people. The US continues to adhere to this position also. India must now be convinced to endorse this democratic approach as well," she responded. On the issue of Pakistan's return to democracy, Karl Inderfurth said: "We welcome General Musharraf's announcements that local elections will be held next year, that the human rights of all Pakistanis will be protected and that he will abide by the Supreme Court's recent decision imposing a three-year deadline for return to civilian rule." He urged Musharraf "to move quickly toward a clear roadmap for a real rebirth of democracy, including fully functional political parties and a free and fair national election at the earliest possible date". "Those who have been detained unlawfully should receive due process and the ban on political demonstrations should be removed," he added. Earlier, Maleeha clarified that the Musharraf government was transitional and "let everybody should be clear about it." Inderfurth admitted the difficulties faced by the Musharraf government "in attempting to make changes, particularly in the economic arena that threaten entrenched interests. The ongoing battle over the documenting the Pakistani economy". Inderfurth said: "For Pakistan's sake, we hope the General is able to stay the course on his economic reform plan." He said the US is encouraged by Pakistan's apparent intention, at long last, to reform its policies and institutions, to root out corruption, and to resolve international commercial disputes." "These are all initial steps in the right direction, but much work remains to be done," he observed. Maleeha in her address said Pakistan faced a formidable challenge in the sphere of economics. Painful but urgent measures were required to address the problem of twin deficits, adding: "Unless we create a viable economy all is lost." She went on: "The ability of our government to address many of the issues that are of concern to the international community - as indeed to counter the sources of internal instability - is directly linked to the ability to revive our economy, generate rapid growth and employment, and provide for the basic needs of our people. The US can do much more to help us in this endeavour. Washington as indeed the rest of the international community, can actively help in Pakistan's economic recovery through enhanced IFIs funding and a significant restructuring of our foreign debt or debt relief." While saying all was not lost between US and Pakistan relations, he applauded Pakistan's efforts to fight drug and narcotic trafficking by eliminating poppy cultivation in the country. Maleeha concluded her remarks with a note that "inter-state relations are built ultimately on mutual trust and confidence. It is our hope that the trust and confidence which was established between our two countries, during the long and difficult period of the Cold War will not be eroded by the temporary difficulties we encounter or the uncertain expectations created in hitherto hostile lands." Maleeha's parting message was that the broad or strategic goals of the US and Pakistan were similar: to build peace and security in South Asia, avoid an arms race, restrain nuclear weapons, promote a peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute and restore peace in Afghanistan. "There are divergences in our respective approaches, but these differences are tactical in nature," she said, adding: "The challenge nevertheless is to reconcile these approaches, a process that can only be successfully undertaken by a broad-gauge engagement between the two countries." The marathon debate was heard with rapt attention by Pakistani delegates from all over the US, including Dr Murtaza Arain, Dr Ziaur Rehman, Dr Hafeez Malik, Dr Wasiullah Khan, Shahid Ahmad, and Dr Nisar Chaudary. Many of them gave vent to their grievances against Washington for treating Pakistan unfairly, sometimes grilling Inderfurth and his associate Donald Camp a bit harshly. The chief host, Dr Riaz Ahmad handled the conference quite well, asking Inderfurth how could the US expect to resolve the problem by ignoring Kashmir. His response was that the US was willing to play a role but would not mediate between the two, though expressing the hope that the agreement could not be ruled out. When asked about the definitional problem between Jihad and terrorism, Inderfurth said the problem was not unique to Pakistan, quoting the example of the Middle East where this had been more or less resolved. However, he conveniently ignored the fact that the Middle East problem was resolved after Palestinians were given a form of self-rule. Donald Camp, in his presentation, said that Kargil was the biggest setback to the peace process. He suggested that the two countries could resolve the side issues like Siachen, Sir Creek and Wullar Barrage before attempting to discuss the larger issues. If Pakistan could reciprocate the Indian move of awarding the Most-Favoured Nation status under the WTO, this might help release the tension. He was more assertive than Inderfurth in saying that the reduction of violence in Kashmir was crucial to the peace process. "Freedom-fighting is one thing, bombing of buses is another thing," he said, adding: "Its sheer terrorism." This conference was attended by a host of Pakistani experts from the State Department and Washington think-tanks, including State Department's Foreign Affairs Analyst Marvin G Weinbaum and Director of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh Jeffrey Lunstead. The News International, Pakistan Update | World | National | Karachi | Islamabad | Lahore | Business |
