20 February 2005	Sunday	10 Muharram 1426

WASHINGTON, Feb 19: The United States views Pakistan as a vital ally in the international anti-terrorism coalition and has refrained from expressing any significant public criticisms of the Pakistan's internal political practices , says America's Congressional Research Service.

The CRS, which advises Congress and writes policy briefs for US lawmakers, has covered developments up to Feb 14 in its latest report on Pakistan. While still asserting that the strengthening of civilian political institutions in Islamabad is "a requirement for the development of a stable, moderate Islamic state," the US administration does not want to take any step that could destabilize the situation in Pakistan, the report observes.

The CRS notes that the October 2002 elections in Pakistan nominally fulfilled President Pervez Musharraf's promise to restore the National Assembly that was dissolved in the wake of his extra-constitutional seizure of power.

There are concerns that Pakistan's civilian democratic institutions have been weakened by President Musharraf's decision to retain a dual role in the government and by the arbitrary dismissal of former Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the report points out. But the CRS recalls that the 9/11 Commission report on terrorism called the Musharraf government the "best hope" for stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and recommended the provision of long-term and comprehensive support to Pakistan so long as its government remains committed to combating extremism and to a policy of "enlightened moderation."

In February 2005, Secretary of State Rice averred that post-9/11 policy trends in Pakistan are moving that country "in the right direction," and she insisted that the United States "will continue to press toward eventual election and a full democratic process in Pakistan."

Referring to the 9/11 commission, the CRS observes: "If Musharraf stands for enlightened moderation in a fight for his life and for the life of his country, the United States should be willing to make hard choices too, and make the difficult long-term commitment to the future of Pakistan."

"Sustaining the current scale of aid to Pakistan, the United States should support Pakistan's government in its struggle against extremists with a comprehensive effort that extends from military aid to support for better education, so long as Pakistan's leaders remain willing to make difficult choices of their own," the report says.

The CRS points out that in passing the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the 108th Congress also called for long-term and comprehensive US support for the government of Pakistan in an effort to ensure a "stable and secure future" for that country.

The concept of "enlightened moderation," as expounded by President Musharraf himself, "is a direct response to a growing world perception that Islam is linked to fundamentalism, and thus to extremism, and thus to terrorism," the CRS noted.

"It is a strategy meant to both shun the militancy that is rooted in "political injustice, denial, and deprivation," and to bring "socioeconomic uplift" in the Muslim world."

An acute concern of many US policymakers, according to the CRS, is the issue of political succession in Pakistan. The constitutionally designated successor to the president is the Chairman of the Senate.

It is the president's prerogative to appoint army chiefs, the report notes. "(But) the consensus view among analysts has the Pakistani military maintaining its substantive administration of the country in the event of President Musharraf's premature removal. ... For example, if Gen Musharraf were removed through violent means, it is quite possible that the army would declare martial law and rule directly for a period."

"It is widely assumed that the hierarchical solidarity and historic professionalism of Pakistan's military would result in its continued effectiveness as a stabilizing force, at least in the short - and perhaps middle-term.

Despite the apparent sturdiness of the military's command structure, there remains widespread pessimism about the ability of political institutions built by Gen Musharraf to survive his sudden removal, and doubts remain about the viability of political succession mechanisms."

US CONCERNS: Notwithstanding its cooperation with the US in the war against terrorism, Pakistan is probably the "most anti-American country" in the world today, says the report.

Pakistan is "probably the most anti-American country in the world right now, ranging from the radical Islamists on one side to the liberals and Westernized elites on the other side," says the report.

Adding to US concerns about Pakistan's domestic political developments are increasing signs of "Islamization" and anti-American sentiments, says K. Alan Kronstadt, who is in charge of analysing Asian Affairs for the CRS.

While Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf "vowed" in August 2003 to "finish off extremism," he notes, Islamic extremists routinely denounce Pakistani military operations in western tribal areas, resist government attempts to reform religious schools that teach militancy, and harshly criticize Islamabad's cooperation with the US government.

Another CRS report on Pakistan, updated till Jan 28, 2005, says that "Pakistan's powerful intelligence agencies are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking. The report points out that in March 2003, a former US ambassador to Pakistan told a House International Relations Committee panel that the role of Pakistani intelligence agencies in the heroin trade during 1997-2003 was "substantial."

"Reports indicate that profits from drug sales (were used to) finance the activities of Islamic extremists in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kashmir. Pakistan's counter-narcotics efforts are hampered by lack of full government commitment; scarcity of funds; poor infrastructure; government wariness of provoking unrest in tribal areas; and acute corruption," the CRS said.