United States Needs to Take a Stand With Pakistan,
Report Says
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS
 ASHINGTON, July 23 - The 9/11 commission's report
lends unusual attention to Pakistan, saying that the governments in
Islamabad and Washington need to make "hard choices" if they are to
make progress in the fight against Islamist terrorism.
The commission recommended that the United States end a
lengthy period of ambivalence and mistrust toward Pakistan and commit
itself to a period of sustained aid, including military assistance and
support for that country's public education system as a counterweight
to religious schools that foster extremism.
But that American support should come only if the
government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf proves that he stands for
"enlightened moderation" and confronts Islamic extremists in Pakistan,
curbs nuclear proliferation and paves the way for a return to
democracy, the commission said.
Pakistani officials praised the report as an endorsement
of their policies. "Quite obviously there are things that are
critical," said a close aide to General Musharraf. But, he added, "when
it comes to recommendations, it says that this is the one government
that is the best hope."
Still, the commission was hardly glowing in its
descriptions of Pakistan.
Pakistan is the first country listed by American and
foreign government officials, the commission report said, when asked:
"If you were a terrorist leader today, where would you locate your
base?"
For the panel members, Pakistan is a problem and a
solution. And at this moment, it is the site of the fiercest battles
against international terrorists.
"It is hard to overstate the importance of Pakistan in
the struggle against Islamist extremism," the report said. "Within
Pakistan's borders are 150 million Muslims, scores of Al Qaeda
terrorists, many Taliban fighters, and perhaps Osama bin Laden.
Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons and has come frighteningly close to
war with nuclear-armed India over the disputed territory of Kashmir."
The commission recommended that the United States
overcome a legacy in which the two countries have been "allies of
convenience" and decide definitively whether to back General Musharraf.
That American support would include sustaining current
levels of humanitarian aid for years and developing a comprehensive
approach to provide military aid and support for a better education
system, to promote economic opportunity and counteract the religious
schools that to produce militants.
Such backing cannot come too soon for General Musharraf,
who finds himself increasingly boxed in on the domestic political
front. On one side, Islamic militants with links to Al Qaeda are trying
to kill him; he narrowly escaped two assassination attempts last
December. On the other, the country's liberal elite are expressing
growing disappointment with the failure of the general, and his
American backers, to build up the strong government institutions that
they say will stabilize the country in the long term.
Pakistani political analysts accuse the general of
sometimes enacting policies that work at cross-purposes. They say that
on one hand, he is mounting aggressive efforts to pursue Qaeda members
hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. But on the other, they
say, General Musharraf has held back on cracking down on former Taliban
and Islamic militants waging an insurgency in the Indian-controlled
portion of Kashmir, the disputed territory Pakistan and India have
fought two wars over. Analysts say Pakistan must crack down on all
militancy in the country.
On terrorism, the report noted, Pakistan nurtured the
Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The Pakistani Army and intelligence
services, in particular, revealed an ambivalence toward confronting
Islamic extremists and struggled to maintain good relations with the
Taliban until September 2001, the report said.
On proliferation, Pakistan's record was equally
problematic, the report said. The government, which claims not to trade
in nuclear technology, insisted that it was unaware of the smuggling
efforts of one of its most prominent citizens, A.Q. Khan, who is
credited with making Pakistan a nuclear power.
Lastly, Pakistan has done little to resume democratic
rule at the national level, the report said.
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