KARACHI: US scholar sees key role for Pakistan’s military
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, April 4: An American policy analyst of Pakistani origin believes the military is likely to play an instrumental role in Pakistan’s political future and the relationship between Pakistan and the United States.
Ms Farhana Ali, working for the RAND Corporation, made a presentation on “US-Pakistan Cooperation: the war on terrorism and beyond” in a round table conference at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs on Wednesday.
She was of the view that Pakistan-US relations should not be confined to the war on terrorism alone. It must move beyond and the root cause of the problem be addressed.
The US could do more in this contest, she said. She referred to the Muslim community’s concerns in the US and other countries following Washington’s crude attempt to impose its laws on the world.
Many of the participants said the American claims of Pakistan being the sanctuary of Islamic militants were wrong. Some participants were of the view Washington itself had exploited Islam to instigate jihad against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. She dealt with the perceptions and America’s oft repeated demand that Pakistan should do more to take the terrorists head on. She was of the view that this demand was made because of Pakistan’s historical role in “fuelling jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir.”
She also referred to General Musharraf’s statement in which he had said, “there is Al Qaeda here. A trend of a kind of Talibanisation has started. This we have to control and we are trying hard.” She said statements like these and burqa-clad women wielding batons sent wrong and disturbing signals.
She dealt at length with the American perceptions while dealing with the Pakistan-US strategic relationship.
She agreed with a participant that remarks like Islamo-fascism were uncalled for and detrimental to the cause of war on terrorism.
She was of the view that diversity of Pakistan’s Islamists and increasing sectarian strife could exacerbate religious conflict and unresolved issues with regional allies.
Ms. Ali, primary area of study is patterns of global terrorism, focusing on ideological drivers and motivations of various terrorist groups. Her research also follows Muslim female fighters, and the motivations for female suicide bombers in the Islamic world.
She agreed with some of the questioners that the definition of terrorism had not yet been decided.
Her presentation also touched upon clash of religious, ethnic and tribal identities, and the US efforts to launch a media campaign and support moderate activism through aid, improve coordination with intelligentsia, act as a mediator of conflicts and set a realistic time table.
She suggested that Pakistan increase counter-terrorism cooperation with the US and regional allies. However, many of the participants said that unless and until the root cause of the problem was resolved, the problem would persist.
