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Gilani hits back, cites US failure in Afghanistan -DAWN - Top Stories; July 31, 2008Gilani hits back, cites US failure in Afghanistan
By Our Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 30: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has rebuffed demands for unilateral US action against suspected terrorist targets inside Fata, saying that such strikes further complicate an already difficult situation.
We can do it ourselves, Mr Gilani told a joint meeting of two Washington think-tanks, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Middle East Institute, on Tuesday night. He, however, added that Pakistan wanted better cooperation with the United States to share intelligence about foreign militants who moved freely across the rugged Pakistan-Afghan border.
The prime minister rejected the suggestion that Pakistan had failed to curb terrorism in Fata. He noted that despite having all sophisticated weapons they need, the US forces in Afghanistan also had failed to eradicate militancy from the areas under their control.
If we are not able to control them, you are not able to control them (either), he said.
Mr Gilani insisted that Pakistan was no ones surrogate in the fight against extremists. We are fighting to save the soul of our homeland.
When asked about the federal governments lack of control over the tribal areas, the prime minister responded that all elected senators from that region supported him.
Mr Gilani also rejected the suggestion that the ISI was not under his control. He insisted that he had direct control over the agency which would now follow his instructions. And now I am responsible for whatever they do.
He recalled that during the Afghan war the US supported the spy agency and it preferred to deal with military rulers.
Americas sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said, created vacuum in the region which allowed militants to establish themselves.
Talking about his meetings with President Bush and with Republican and Democratic candidates for the 2008 US presidential election, Mr Gilani said all these leaders had assured him that they supported the new democratic dispensation in Islamabad and wanted to help establish democracy in the country.
The prime minister told the audience that Pakistan expected a similar nuclear deal from the United States that it had offered to India.
There should be no preferential (treatment), there should be no discrimination. And if they want to give civilian nuclear status to India, we would expect the same for Pakistan too, he said.
Mr Gilani said that the Khan network was no more active, when a questioner suggested that because of the activities of this network Pakistan cannot be offered a nuclear deal.
Certainly it cannot happen again and that chapter is over. The network is broken, said Mr Gilani. He said that the civilian government in Islamabad wanted to have good relations with India, was working for enhancing bilateral trade and would like to resolve all issues, including the core issue of Kashmir.
On Kashmir, Mr Gilani said: They (the United States) should encourage and support this issue. That means only they can understand, but refrained from asking Washington to play the role of a mediator.
However, when pressed by president of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haas on whether Washington should appoint a special envoy or play a high-visibility or mediatory role, Mr Gilani quipped: Actually what the United States really want, they can do it.
It seems Gillani held his own, and the two sides refused to publicly at least back down from their respective positions:
Gillani refused to accept unilateral action within FATA and the US agreed to respect Pakistani sovereignty - so did the Pentagon, but with a caveat that the air strikes would continue (which have the tacit approval of the GoP anyway).
The Pentagon's qualified statement isn't anything new, the concern is more over potential US boots on the ground on FATA, and it seems that is unlikely to happen at this point.
An 'ISI culpability' ambush was handled relatively well, with the PM, FO and ISPR point blank rejecting the allegations. The Western media ran with the story of course, but then they really are not the paragon's of objectivity when it comes to interests that clash with State objectives.
Nothing opened my eyes to that more than seeing refugees abroad, from Sadaam's regime, being interviewed on mainstream US networks in the run up to the Iraq war, being cutoff when trying to voice objections to plans for an invasion, despite all that they had suffered at his hands.
In the end it is whatever the incumbent US adminsitration decides best serves its interest, and not what the media is made to project, though the media does serve as a tool to pressure Pakistan, and create perceptions that might later on justify certain actions against Pakistan for a domestic and global audience.
So what happens behind the scenes?
I would wager 'nothing much', until the new President takes charge and his policies for the region are formulated and articulated.