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Shift focus from Musharraf to security: Boucher

ISLAMABAD: The U.S. wants to see Pakistan move away from debating the future of President Pervez Musharraf and focus on “more serious” issues facing their country, with terrorism topping the list.

At the end of his three-day visit to Pakistan, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said the focus of his discussions with political leaders he met was that the U.S. was willing to work with the Pakistani leadership on the three “basic issues” facing the country: safety and security, the food and energy crises.

“Frankly, President Musharraf is not the issue. This is not the problem that Pakistan faces right now. The problems that Pakistanis face are that there are bombings, there are dangerous people out there, suicide bombers. There is the rising food prices, there is the energy prices,” said Mr. Boucher at a press conference, answering questions about the U.S. stand on the retired General Musharraf.

Mr. Boucher reiterated support for Pakistan’s newly-elected democracy, but refused to be drawn into a discussion on President Musharraf’s legitimacy. “President Musharraf is the President of Pakistan, and that’s the way we deal with him,” he said, but emphasised the perception was “wrong” that the U.S. was against the democratic transition in Pakistan.

“Our commitment is to Pakistan as a nation, Pakistan as a democracy, and to the Pakistani people,” he said, adding: “There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind, anywhere in the world, that we worked hard last year on this transition [to democracy]… and we are working hard now to stabilise this democracy.”

He said the U.S. had worked hard to ensure that President Musharraf held “credible elections,” and would work with the government to modernise Pakistan’s institutions, its education and healthcare, and the safety and security of the people.

Mr. Boucher said the government’s anti-militancy operations in the Khyber tribal area adjacent to Peshawar were “welcome,” and they had provided relief to the people living in the city.

Mr. Boucher also expressed mixed feelings at the government’s strategy of negotiations and peace agreements in the tribal areas.

He said the U.S. would support these negotiations if they were with tribesmen of the area and intended to make them responsible for their own security, but he ruled out support for “concessions to militants like Beithullah Mehsud.”

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