The Hindu : Powell to raise Khan network, Al-Qaeda with Pakistan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 18, 2004

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International

Powell to raise Khan network, Al-Qaeda with Pakistan

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 17. The United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, arrived here tonight for consultations with Pakistani leadership on three key issues of concern to the Bush Administration.

These are nuclear proliferation in the context of the scandal involving Abdul Qadeer Khan, fight against elements of Al-Qaeda and Taliban in the areas bordering Afghanistan and progress on the commitments to permanently end infiltration and dismantle terrorism infrastructure in the context of Kashmir and India-Pakistan relations.

According to a senior western diplomat, Mr. Powell will urge Pakistan `to do more' while in public he might be seen praising the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, and his Government for efforts on all the three fronts.

Diplomatic sources suggest that Washington would not do any thing to publicly undermine Gen. Musharraf's position. America believes that given the enormity of the challenges, Gen. Musharraf is the best bet. Besides it is engaged in a `decisive battle' in Afghanistan in search of Al-Qaeda suspects including Osama bin Laden.

These sources suggest that America is looking for some dramatic breakthrough in its war being waged since October 2001 and is hopeful of good results. The military operations mounted by the U.S. forces inside Afghanistan and the matching operations by Pakistan on its soil are seen as part of the strategy to `wipe out' the remnants of the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Independent observers see it as an effort to bolster the re-election prospects of the U.S. President, George Bush.

It is against this backdrop that Mr. Powell is expected to be very cautious in his articulation of the discussions with his Pakistani counterparts. His approach in public during his stay here was evident from a message he gave to a Pakistani daily The News hours before he landed here.

"Pakistan is not defined by the state of India-Pakistan relations, nor driven solely by the need to secure your assistance against terrorism and proliferation. We seek to build a close and enduring partnership with you because we recognise Pakistan's regional and global importance. Like you, we want to see Muhammad Ali Jinnah's vision fulfilled: a peaceful, prosperous, democratic Pakistan contributing to the well being of South Asia and the world."

On proliferation, the U.S. wants Pakistan to demonstrate in a convincing manner that it has dismantled the A.Q. Khan network. Pakistan should come clean on all the information collected from Dr. Khan about his accomplices within Pakistan particularly if it involved any one from the military establishment. The hasty manner in which Pakistan sought to close the chapter on nuclear scandal has only raised more suspicions in the world.

Diplomatic sources believe that Pakistan has differences with the U.S. on the issue of clubbing Taliban with the Al-Qaeda in its operations. Gen. Musharraf, during his recent interaction with Indian intellectuals in New Delhi via satellite link, in response to a pointed question argued that Talibs were students and there was no clarity as to who constituted Taliban.

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