Terror exports made in Pakistan

The Australian ^ | August 22, 2006

[knighthawk]

Paying the price for 30 years of short-term thinking

IT is an uncomfortable fact that when it comes to terror the links increasingly lead to the West's new-found nuclear-capable ally, Pakistan. It is where September 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden is believed to have fled, and is possibly still in hiding. And most recently, leaving aside the terrors of cricket, it is where the roots of the foiled attempt to use liquid bombs to bring down a series of aeroplanes between Britain and the US can ultimately be traced. On the one hand, Western nations see great value in maintaining strategic relations with the military Government of Pervez Musharraf but increasingly the evidence is that Pakistan remains as much the problem as the solution. While Australian Prime Minister John Howard has publicly praised General Musharraf for joining the war on terror, the Pakistani leader remains a military dictator unwilling to make the transition to civilian rule. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs has advised against unnecessary travel to the country because of terrorism.

This is the culmination of three decades of short-term thinking by the West, dating back to the Soviet war with Afghanistan. The big question is what is the ultimate outcome of Pakistan's two-way bet in the war on terror? It is a stark reminder that there is always a price to pay for seeking the support of a dysfunctional state. The issue is well dealt with by Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister of Pakistan and now leader of the opposition People's Party. Ms Bhutto claims the alliance between the West and Pakistan has allowed her country to become the Petri dish of the pandemic of international terrorism. She argues that the link between Pakistan and terrorist plots against the West is a consequence of allowing Pakistani military regimes to suppress the democratic aspirations of the people as long as their leaders ostensibly support the political goals of the international community. Ms Bhutto blames today's ills on the funnelling of US aid through Pakistan to the fundamentalist mujaheddin in Afghanistan during its war with the Soviet Union and the simultaneous diversion of resources to the military dictatorship of Pakistan's General Zia ul-Haq. As Zia's military government relinquished its responsibility in education, health, housing and social services, people turned to the political madrasas which became the breeding ground for hatred, extremism, militancy and terrorism. Ms Bhutto says General Musharraf has played the West like a fiddle, dispensing occasional support in the war on terror to keep the US and Britain off his back as he proceeds to arrest and exile opposition leaders, decimate political parties, pressure the press and set back human and women's rights by a generation. The daunting task of reform is demonstrated by efforts to repeal laws that leave women who complain of rape liable to stoning and death unless they can produce four male witnesses. Efforts to change the 27-year-old laws sparked a walkout by hardline Islamic MPs. Meanwhile, Pakistan's nuclear capability and long-running dispute with similarly armed India over Kashmir only serves to underscore the extent of the problem. Australia is offering education scholarships to build ties but it is minuscule in context. The core problem is that military dictatorships empower militants at the expense of moderates. There is now a generation of Pakistani youth prepared to embrace terror, at home and abroad. Ms Bhutto correctly points out that democratic governments do not empower, protect and harbour terrorists. It is becoming more obvious that if the West truly wants to tackle the roots of terror it must rethink its engagement with Pakistan.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[usurper]

Ms Bhutto correctly points out that democratic governments do not empower, protect and harbour terrorists.

The Palestinians do.