In proclaiming an emergency, President General Pervez Musharraf had referred to the situation of uncertainty created by the delay in the decision of the Supreme Court regarding his legitimacy to run as a president. After the imposition of the emergency, that uncertainty seems to have crept into almost all spheres of Pakistan's political life and its relations with its allies.

The White House has communicated its displeasure over the circumstances obtaining in Pakistan and probably this was the reason that compelled the government to announce a date for general elections. However much he may want to save the relationship with the present regime that is increasingly being questioned by the Democrats-led Congress and the media, the US president could not but show concern over the continued emergency rule and urge Pakistan's president to return to a constitutional order and hold general elections. Two Democrat Senators have moved a resolution that calls for a review of military assistance to Pakistan and the suspension of "assistance for the purchase of certain weapons systems not directly related to the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban" if the Constitution is not restored. Although the Bush administration has managed to stave off any such measure in practical terms due to its power of presidential waiver, taking the position that there are legal difficulties in carrying it out, this may not be possible when a budget request for $ 845 million for assistance to Pakistan will be placed before the Congress for approval for the fiscal year 2008. For the time being, there is no automatic aid cut off despite what is being viewed by US media as an unconstitutional measure, the crackdown on the opposition, civil society, and the attack on civil liberties.

However, despite its pledge of support for Musharraf, there is ambiguity in the position of the US administration. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates voiced his concern that the emergency may affect the war on terror. It is understandable that the attention of the top brass at Islamabad and intelligence agencies may be distracted by the political turmoil spawned by the emergency, but this will not affect the operational capacity of the military and paramilitary personnel fighting extremists in NWFP. Fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban is the primary strategic objective of the US's collaboration with Pakistan and this question would continue to be raised. It would be in the best interest of the country if the government did not let the emergency become an excuse for any slacking of efforts in the war against terrorism - the very reason which convinced it to clamp an emergency. US Consul General Bryan Hunt visited Chairperson Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Asma Jahangir, who has been put under house arrest for 90 days. The censure the detention of high profile political and human rights personalities is inviting from the international community and the media far outweighs whatever benefits the government hopes to achieve by it. Releasing the detained personalities would save the government from further sullying of its repute worldwide.

The arguments making the rounds in the public space in the US are cautionary. Perceptive US analysts are reminding the government that in the 1970s, the then US administration so consistently backed the Shah of Iran that it lost touch with the ground realities. It seems that the US too is caught in the flux and weighing its options regarding its all-out support for President Musharraf. The deciding factor will be the way things pan out on the political front here in Pakistan. If the agitation against the regime gains momentum, the US may be forced to revisit the idea that President Musharraf is indispensable for the war on terror.

(Courtesy: The Post (Pakistan))