Monday, Jan 20, 2003
After Iraq, it could be Pak.: Musharraf
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD Jan. 19. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has talked about the need for efforts by Pakistan to avoid a situation whereby the country becomes a target of war after Iraq.
Addressing a gathering of industrialists, businessmen, farmers and the elite in Lahore on Saturday, Gen. Musharraf referred to speculations that Pakistan could be the next target of Western forces after Iraq. "We will have to work on our own to stave off the impending danger. Nobody will come to our rescue, not even the Islamic world. We will have to depend on our own muscle.''
The comments of Gen. Musharraf appear to be an admission of "guilt" either on the count of spreading `jehad' or nuclear proliferation. But a closer scrutiny shows that it is far from that. They are directed at "irresponsible" elements from among the religious parties and organisations. For instance, Gen. Musharraf made a specific reference to slogans of `jehad' being raised by certain elements among the religious organisations in the context of Iraq and wanted them to introspect what good it did for the image of Pakistan abroad.
A few days ago in the run up to the campaign for the byelections, the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, had similarly lashed out at the leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) for "unnecessarily" running down the United States and the Western countries.
He had gone one step further and justified the new immigration laws for the Pakistanis in the U.S. as a direct result of the anti-West propaganda being indulged in by the religious elements.
Mr. Jamali had chided that MMA leaders should not consider themselves to be the sole champions of Islam and should be mindful of their actions on Pakistanis abroad.
In his address to the gathering at Lahore, Gen. Musharraf complained that some extremists from abroad had taken refuge in Pakistan and were scheming to harm the interests of the U.S. Urging people not to support such elements, Gen. Musharraf said that "some foreigners in Pakistan are harming U.S. interests here, though we take them as brothers''.
Gen. Musharraf appealed to people to shun extremists, urging them to embrace more moderate views. "Muslims are suffering everywhere but in the hour of need no Muslim state will help us because everyone has his own interests. We will have to a moderate country, not with a confrontationist approach, but with a liberal mind.''
Talking to troops on his visit to Lahore Garrison, Gen. Musharraf said courage, determination and operational preparedness had provided deterrence to the armed forces and made the defence of the country impregnable. Gen. Musharraf told them that there was no substitute for peacetime training and urged them to concentrate fully on upgrading tactical skills and enhancing professional capability.
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