America's perception that Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghanistan border is providing safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda elements is getting stronger every day. America's National Director of Intelligence, John Negroponte, recently said that Pakistan's tribal areas were a "major source of Islamic extremism and a refuge for terrorist leaders". In his testimony before the US Senate, Negroponte emphasised that "eliminating the safe haven that the Taliban and other extremists have found in Pakistan's tribal areas is not sufficient to end the insurgency in Afghanistan, but it is necessary".

He said that despite Pakistan's vital role in the war on terrorism, leaders of both the Al Qaeda and the Taliban are taking shelter in its border areas, largely beyond the reach of US or Pakistani fighters. He named Pakistan as the centre of an al-Qaeda web that radiated out to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. He acknowledged that Pakistan was "a frontline partner in the war on terror" that has captured several Al Qaeda leaders. He noted President Pervez Musharraf was aware of the risk of sparking a revolt among the Pashtuns living in the tribal belt straddling the border, as well as the political risks of a backlash from the Islamist political parties, especially as the national elections are due in the country this year.

This is the first candid and by far the strongest statement by America's top spy signifying Pakistan's failure in destroying Taliban sanctuaries in tribal areas despite ongoing military operations and Pakistan government's agreement with tribal elders that it will not touch the region's autonomy as long as they agreed not to harbour foreign terrorists.

A CNN report claimed that before the agreement, Pakistani authorities were able to impede the ability of al-Qaeda to regroup in the region. Now, it is easier for Al Qaeda to operate. US military officials too have said the region became a Taliban haven because the agreement had no real enforcement penalties. It is suspected that many of the attacks in Afghanistan have been organised by Taliban elements based inside Pakistan.

On his return from a whirlwind terror of Middle East, President Musharraf acknowledged that Taliban backers are no doubt providing support to extremists. He, however, described as "preposterous" the claim of US officials that Pakistan's intelligence agencies are cooperating with extremist forces and sending them into Afghanistan. He said, "Let us get things clear. The trouble lies in Afghanistan and the solution lies in Afghanistan."

He described Palestine and lack of unity in the Muslim world as core issues that needed to be addressed which will have a positive impact in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

Other than the changing perception of US regarding Pakistan's ability to control the infiltration of extremist elements into Afghanistan, the recent incidents of suicide bombings in NWFP and Islamabad give rise to suspicions that terrorism is not fully under control within the country. Some top religious leaders are also giving frequent public statements supporting resurgence of Taliban, which strengthens America's belief that extremism is alive and well in Pakistan.

During his recent visit to Pakistan, the US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Boucher emphasised the strategic and multifaceted nature of the Pakistan-US relationship and underscored the importance of steady development of cooperation in diverse fields. But since the Democrats, who traditionally have not been favourable to Pakistan, have a working majority in the American Congress, the tide seems to be turning in the US-Pakistan relationship. The House of Representatives has adopted a bill which would require President Bush to certify that Pakistan is doing all it can to counter the Taliban and al-Qaeda before further financial aid is released to the country's military.

The House has also passed an anti-proliferation bill which authorises the administration to ask Pakistan to surrender Dr A. Q. Khan to US for investigation. This bill would require the US President to submit a report, no later than 90 days after its enactment, to the appropriate Congressional committees, that identifies any country in which manufacturing, brokering, shipment, trans-shipment, or other activity occurred in connection with nuclear proliferation network that supplied Libya, Iran, North Korea and possibly other countries. The report will also identify any country in which manufacturing, brokering, or any other activity occurred for supplying nuclear technology or equipment or material to another country or person that could, in the President's judgment, contribute to the development, or acquisition, of a nuclear explosive device.

The proposed law suggests that US foreign assistance should only be provided to countries that are not cooperating with any non-nuclear-weapon state or any foreign group or individual who may be engaged in, planning, or assisting any international "terrorist group" in the development of a nuclear explosive device or its means of delivery and are taking all necessary measures to prevent their nationals from participating in such cooperation, and, are fully cooperating with the United States in its efforts to eliminate nuclear black-market networks or activities.

The US President would also be required to instruct all agencies of the US government to "make every effort in their interactions with foreign government and business officials to persuade them not to engage in any business transaction with a foreign person sanctioned under this law."

The bill if approved by the Senate, which is very likely, will be a very serious development in Pak-US relations like the Pressler Amendment passed in 1985 that banned military assistance to Pakistan.


The writer is a former director of PTV. Email: burhanhasan@hotmail.com