Oxymoronic Perception: “Pakistan is genuine in fighting terror,” & “Al Qaeda active, strong in Pakistani hideout”

By Animesh Roul

In less than 24 hours Senior US officials aired two contradictory statements on Pakistan, and al Qaeda:

On January 11, Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, while talking to media men in Kabul, Afghanistan, said that Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism is genuine and Islamabad remains an important ally of the US. He said, Pakistan "is committed to this not just because we are all concerned about terrorism, but because of the commitment that they have [...] of orienting Pakistan in a different direction," […] and Pakistan wants to create a "modern society that is free from the kind of extremism, terrorism that has beset Pakistan and some of its neighbors in the past."

Same day, elsewhere, the outgoing U.S. intelligence chief, John Negroponte, indicated to a Senate Intelligence Committee (SIC), that al-Qaeda has re-established its global headquarters in Pakistan and the terrorist group has established a secure hideout in Pakistan. In written testimony to the SIC, Negroponte also said "Pakistan is our partner in the war on terror and has captured several Al Qaeda leaders. However, it is also a major source of Islamic extremism." According to him, “they are cultivating stronger operational connections and relationships that radiate outward from their leaders' secure hide-out in Pakistan to affiliates throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe."

Is Pakistan genuine in its commitment to fight global war on terror? It is impossible to hide a dual strategy of becoming an ally to fight al Qaeda on one front and harbouring terror elements at other front. It is no doubt that Pakistan Army has contributed immensely in helping combat the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, but the country has been promoting Jihadi elements to fight a different war against India. Pakistan based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief, Syed ‘Pir Sahib’ Salahuddin’e recent statement proves this: “I am fully confident that the leadership of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan will not hand me over to India.”

Now that International community is noticing the dual intention of Pakistan, time has come to carry out a collective probe if Pakistan is really a terror sanctuary or not, be it for al Qaeda or al Badr or Lashkar e Toiba. No room for complacency and contradictions at all.

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