By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : With Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf sticking to his guns on emergency rule, it appears the US is not yet ready to snap its marriage of convenience with a defiant, but “indispensable” ally.
This became amply evident from the remarks of a top US envoy who came calling on the general to demand an end to his emergency rule only to leave Islamabad Sunday reiterating: “We value our partnership with the government of Pakistan under the leadership of President Musharraf”.
For the record, US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte did say in Islamabad that he had told Musharraf emergency rule was “not compatible” with free and fair elections and again asked him to take off his army uniform.
But the public urgings for a stop to police actions against protestors, suppression of the media, and the arrests of political and human rights leaders, and release of all political detainees were tempered with fulsome praise for the man US President George W. Bush considers “indispensable”.
“In my meeting with President Musharraf, he reiterated his vision for a moderate, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan,” said Negroponte, according to the text of his departing statement, released here by the US State Department.
“Under his leadership, Pakistan has made great progress toward that vision. Over the past few years, the Pakistani people have witnessed expanded and freer media, unprecedented economic growth and development, and the moderation of gender-based laws and school curricula.
“President Musharraf has been and continues to be a strong voice against extremism. We value our partnership with the Government of Pakistan under the leadership of President Musharraf,” said the US envoy who had before leaving Washington cautioned the Congress against any cuts in aid to Islamabad.
Besides reiterating support to Musharraf, a second crucial part of Negroponte’s mission to Islamabad was an apparent bid to revive a power sharing deal between the embattled general and former premier Benazir Bhutto — the two leaders US is banking on to take Pakistan on a path of moderation.
“Looking to the future, the United States believes that the best way for any country to counter violent extremism is to develop and nurture a moderate political centre.
“We believe this is true for Pakistan as well, and in my talks I encouraged reconciliation between political moderates as the most constructive way forward,” he said in an apparent reference to Bhutto with whom he had a telephonic talk shortly after landing in Islamabad Friday.
“A democratic Pakistan that continues the fight against terror is vital to the interests of both the United States and Pakistan.
“In the current circumstances, engagement and dialogue — not brinkmanship and confrontation — should be the order of the day for all parties,” Negroponte said without naming the two leaders who have both baulked at resurrecting the US-brokered deal after it went sour following the imposition of emergency.
At the same time Negroponte also sought to indicate that the US had not put all its chips on Musharraf. He made it a point to refer to his meetings with other senior Pakistani government officials, including former premier and now National Security Advisor Tariq Aziz who helped broker the Musharraf-Bhutto deal in London.
Negroponte, a former US intelligence chief, also met Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, a soft-spoken pro-western professional, who is expected to take over as the new army chief when Musharraf gives up his second post as promised by end November.
The second ranking US diplomat’s other contacts included the Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Nadeem Taj, a long time ally of Musharraf. Taj was named head of Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency by Musharraf Sep 21 as he prepared to start his second innings as president in civvies.
Negroponte also welcomed Musharraf’s announcement that elections will take place in January, “a commitment he repeated to me yesterday in categorical terms. He also repeated his commitment to retire from his army post before commencing his second presidential term, and we urge him to do so as soon as possible.
“Recent political actions against protesters, suppression of the media and the arrests of political and human rights leaders run directly counter to reforms that have been undertaken in recent years. I’ve urged the government of Pakistan to stop such actions, to lift the state of emergency and release all political detainees,” he said.
“The people of Pakistan deserve an opportunity to choose their leaders free from the restrictions that exist under a state of emergency.
“The United States supports the Pakistani people in their efforts to develop a prosperous and democratic nation,” Negroponte said, but as expected sidestepped questions on what Washington proposed to do in case the general does not keep his word.
The US has paid close to $10 billion to Pakistan in assistance, most of it military, since the Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. It has budgeted another $845 million in assistance in the fiscal year 2008 started Oct 1.