WASHINGTON REBUFFS MUSHRRAF ON AFGHANISTAN

December 18, 2006 (Press Release) -- Dissatisfied over Pakistan’s anti-terrorism record, the Bush Administration has rejected Islamabad’s suggestion to gradually withdraw forces from Afghanistan and also cede territory to the Taliban in southern part of the country in exchange for peace. Gen. Pervez Musharraf failed to convince Presidents Bush and Karzai of his sincerity in preventing a massive resurgence of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, who are using Pakistani territory to regroup, recruit and re-arm their fighters for terror missions inside Afghanistan. Washington also has expressed surprise over statements by Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Kasuri urging withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan on the plea that the Taliban could not be defeated. This was unacceptable, particularly coming from a strategic and military ally who has earned billions of dollars as reward for allowing use of Pakistani territory for operations in Afghanistan.



Unlike in Iraq, where President Bush has been under attack and the people’s anger was expressed during the recent elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate, both of which have come under Democrats control, his Afghanistan policy commands a measure of bipartisan support. Hamid Karzai’s plea to Americans not to abandon his country to Taliban and terrorism has found a strong echo among the people. In fact, the Iraq Study Group regrets that the main focus of US political, military and economic support to Iraq has diverted attention from Afghanistan. It warns that if Taliban were to control Afghanistan once again, it would provide Al Qaeda the political space, as before 2001, to conduct terrorist operations. It is, therefore, critical for the US to provide additional military, political and economic support to Afghanistan, it recommends.



Initially, it did not react to the deal Gen. Musharraf struck with the Taliban-Al Qaeda combine, in the guise of tribal leaders, in North Waziristan in exchange for peace, handed over control of the area to them and withdrew his Army. But, it soon realized the sinister motive behind the so-called peace deal, which gave the Taliban and Al Qaeda complete control of North and South Waziristan to enable them to freely recruit, train and arm fighters and send them across to Afghanistan. President Karzai spent several hectic days in Washington trying to convince the Bush Administration that Pakistan was not true to its world and that massive mobilization of the Taliban was undergoing inside Pakistan and attacks on NATO and Afghan forces had increased since the deal was struck.