US pledges to support new government

The US secretary of state pledged support to the new government in Pakistan and to bolstering the country's democratic reforms.

Pervez Musharraf is regarded by the US as one of the world's most committed partners in the 'war against terrorism'.

WASHINGTON // Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, effectively bade farewell yesterday to a critical ally in the US war on terrorism, Pervez Musharraf, and pledged US support to the new government in Pakistan and to bolstering the country's democratic reforms. Ms Rice called Mr Musharraf, who resigned rather than fight impeachment proceedings even though he denied the charges against him, "one of the world's most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism" and said he had made the "critical choice" to join the US fight against al Qa'eda and the Taliban. "We will continue to work with the Pakistani government and political leaders and urge them to redouble their focus on Pakistan's future and its most urgent needs, including stemming the growth of extremism, addressing food and energy shortages and improving economic stability," Ms Rice said in a statement. "The United States will help with these efforts to see Pakistan reach its goal of becoming a stable, prosperous, democratic, modern, Muslim nation." Some experts said Mr Musharraf's resignation, even while ushering in a period of uncertainty both in Pakistan and in Washington, provides the United States a new opening to forge stronger and more constructive ties with a strategic partner that despite Ms Rice's rhetoric has not always been the most reliable. "It needs to be seen as an opportunity," said Karin von Hippel, co-director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We've played a very fundamental role in the transition away from Musharraf to the coalition government," she said, calling it a "quiet, behind the scenes" role. "This is a job we should be doing, and we should have done it the whole time. It's getting back to Diplomacy 101 - or it should be." Gone will be the personal bond between George W Bush and Mr Musharraf. But gone too will be the way that bond seemed at times to serve as a kind of shield against some of Mr Musharraf's shortcomings. Pakistan, which severed relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan after September 11, arrested hundreds of members of the Taliban and al Qa'eda since then. It deployed troops to the mountainous tribal areas near the Afghan border and provided critical support for US and Nato forces. The United States, in return, delivered billions of dollars of military aid. But critics here have long said Pakistan has not done nearly enough to quash the groups and prevent suicide attacks, and they have questioned Mr Musharraf's allegiance to the US cause. In seeking to keep Mr Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, as an ally, they say, the United States has been too willing to overlook his deficiencies. Last month, things reached a breaking point of sorts when the United States alleged that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency had aided in the planning of an attack against the Indian Embassy in Kabul. By late last week, the Bush administration seemed to be distancing itself from Mr Musharraf, saying Pakistan's leadership was an internal matter. Naeem Salik, a visiting scholar in South Asia studies at the Johns Hopkins' School for Advanced International Studies and a retired brigadier general in the Pakistani army, said there has been some "unease" in Washington in losing the seasoned Mr Musharraf as an ally - if a not altogether reliable one. But the two countries are on the path towards a continued strong alliance, Mr Salik said, even if under new leadership both in Pakistan and in the United States, which will also have a new president come January. Mr Bush and the Pakistani prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, appeared together at the White House to say as much last month. The same day, a Senate panel approved a massive aid package worth US$7 billion (Dh26bn) over the next five years for non-military assistance, receipt of which will be linked to progress in internal reforms. John Kerry, a Massachusetts senator who was the Democratic Party's 2004 nominee for president, called the funding a "down payment" in the fight against radical extremism in Pakistan. Ms Von Hippel, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, does expect one change in the countries' relationship. She expects that the new government will try to avoid the criticism that was ultimately one of Mr Musharraf's downfalls: that he was too closely aligned with the United States. "I think the new leaders are trying to demonstrate their independence from America," she said, "because they really don't want to be seen as being controlled by America." Recent language from Mr Gilani bears that out. Writing in The Washington Post in April, he pledged that while the elimination of terrorism will be his government's top priority. "Pakistan must fight terrorism for Pakistan's sake." In other words: the war on terrorism must be Islamabad's, not Washington's. Some of that might just be rhetoric. Pakistan knows it needs US assistance, Ms von Hippel said, not just to fight extremism within its borders but also to build its economy and democratic institutions. "They know they need our help to make a lot of that happen," she said. "They'll still work very closely with us." @EMAIL:[e-mail]