If the US wants a stronger Pakistani commitment to the war on terror, it must first recognise that Pakistan’s poor performance cannot be attributed simply to malfeasance by Pakistan’s military elite, argues Ashley Tellis, a South Asia expert. Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that while the move this week by General (r) Pervez Musharraf to step down as army chief may assuage some tensions in the embattled nation, the resurgence of Al Qaeda and the Taliban both in and around Pakistan continues to pose an enormous security threat and reflects the greatest reversal suffered by the US since operations began in 2001. Many blame the Musharraf regime for not doing more to combat terrorism, despite receiving significant US aid, this is simplistic. Tellis is of the view that Pakistani counterterrorism efforts have been impeded by its military ineptitude, its political deterioration, a lack of public support for ‘Washington’s war’, and the ineffective Afghan government.
He maintains that the majority of Pakistani military officials, despite fears over domestic repercussions and long-term US interests in the region, support operations aimed at defeating terrorism.
Recommendations: In a new report, Tellis presents a number of policy recommendations to strengthen counterterrorism efforts, including to convince Pakistanis of their own self-interest to defeat terrorism, demand the systematic targeting of the Taliban leadership within Pakistan, assist Pakistan with technology and training to monitor critical border crossing points, link counter-terrorism support funds to specific tasks rather than simply reimbursing Islamabad, double US aid to Afghanistan, and challenge NATO to meet its security obligations and commit to combat operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan. Making US aid conditional on PakistanÂ’s performance in the war on terror would only inflame Pakistani public opinion and embarrass moderate Pakistanis who cooperated with the US, according to Tellis, while recent suggestions by US presidential hopefuls for unilateral military action could recast Pakistan as an adversary.
“If unilateral military action were to become the announced policy of the US, such a policy would likely conclude eventually in the designation of Pakistan as an adversary of the US.