August 27, 2008	Wednesday	Sha'aban 24, 1429

WASHINGTON, Aug 26: US policies towards Pakistan will undergo major changes if Barack Obama is elected in November, shows a document adopted on Tuesday as the Democratic Party platform, 2008.

The platform, which is called a manifesto in the subcontinent, outlines the plan the party intends to implement during the next four years if it wins the presidential election scheduled for Nov 4.

The document focuses on two major issues --– militancy in Fata and nuclear proliferation --– while seeking to redefine America’s ties with Pakistan.

A Democratic White House, however, will not disengage itself from Pakistan. Instead, it calls for stronger ties with the people of Pakistan and promises to “significantly increase” non-military aid.

But the military aid will be conditioned to Pakistan’s performance in the “war on terror”.

“We must move beyond an alliance built on individual leaders, or we will face mounting opposition in a nuclear-armed nation at the nexus of terror, extremism and the instability wrought by autocracy,” the document warns.

“We will ask more of the Pakistani government, rather than offer a blank cheque to an undemocratic president,” it adds. “We will significantly increase non-military aid to the Pakistani people and sustain it for a decade, while ensuring that the military assistance we provide is actually used to fight extremists.”

While talking about the threat of nuclear proliferation, the document pledges “make absolutely sure that a disaster like the A.Q. Khan black market network, which grew out of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, can never happen again.”

The Democratic Party also pledges to take steps to reduce tension between India and Pakistan and guard against the possibility of their nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.

“We must also work with our friends, India and Pakistan, in their efforts to resolve longstanding differences,” the document adds.

The unanimously adopted document, however, is very critical of Pakistan’s alleged failure to control militancy in Fata. “The greatest threat to the security of the Afghan people -– and the American people -– lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists train, plot attacks, and strike into Afghanistan and move back across the border,” the party warns. “We cannot tolerate a sanctuary for Al Qaeda.”

But this harsh indictment of Pakistan’s performance in Fata does not prevent the party from seeking stronger ties with the country. “We need a stronger and sustained partnership between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nato … to better secure the border, to take out terrorist camps, and to crack down on cross-border insurgents,” the document notes.

It also advocates providing better equipment -– like satellites and predator drones --- to the US forces and its allies in the region to fight terrorists.

“We must help Pakistan develop its own counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency capacity. We will invest in the long-term development of the Pashtun border region, so that the extremists’ programme of hate is met with an agenda of hope,” the document concludes.