October 14, 2001	Sunday	Rajab 26, 1422

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WASHINGTON, Oct 13: The Bush administration is considering a possible new military relationship with Pakistan that could include transfers of new arms but does not anticipate a more formal military alliance with the frontline ally in the US anti-terror war, officials said on Friday.

“Depending on the circumstances, there might be some military cooperation but that is not decided yet and what it might be and to what extent is hard to say,” one official told Reuters.

The decision will depend on Pakistan’s needs and other factors — the extent of Islamabad’s continued cooperation with the United States in Afghanistan, its non-proliferation commitments and its pursuit of domestic reforms, he said.

Many different ideas are being considered but “certainly no military alliance” is contemplated, the official added.

Some discussion on this subject may occur when Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Islamabad next week.

India, Pakistan’s nuclear rival in the area, has grown extremely nervous as the anti-terror war launched after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon brought Washington once again into close ties with Islamabad.

Pakistan is a crucial ally as the United States hunts the suspected mastermind behind the attacks, Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, his network of militants and the Taliban leaders who harbour him in Afghanistan.

Since the attacks, Congress has waived sanctions on Pakistan that blocked military, economic and other assistance in an effort to give President George W. Bush maximum flexibility to respond to the terrorism threat.

The United States and international financial institutions moved quickly to address economically distressed Pakistan’s need for debt relief and refugee assistance.

India’s ambassador to Washington, Lalit Mansingh, said earlier this week his government understands the need for a short-term tactical alliance between the United States and Pakistan in the new war against terrorism.

But New Delhi would oppose any kind of “military supplies” to Pakistan or revived long-term US military alliance with Islamabad as existed in the Cold War, he said.

Pakistan has not made any specific requests for military aid since the US attacks on Sept. 11, Pakistan Embassy spokesman Assad Hayauddin said.