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Obama wants Pak to act against terrorist centres fast | President Barack Obama's revamped Afghan strategy and his clear cut talks highlighting the presence of terror safe havens on Pakistani soil has probably for the first time
delivered a message to Islamabad that it is time it starts acting against those terror sanctuaries. According to analysts, following Obama's specific talk about
Al-Qaeda's leadership's presence in Pakistan, the onus is now on Islamabad, which
has until now remained in a state of denial. "For the first time, Obama was very
categorical about these safe havens and sanctuaries. It's now going to be much
more difficult for those in Pakistan who have been in a state of denial about
it," The Washington Post quoted analyst Ahmed Rashid, as saying. "It's really
crunchtime," Rashind added. Pakistan fears that the massive surge in Afghanistan
would result in the spill over of Afghan guerrilla fighters into Pakistan, deteriorating
the situation inside the country further. The Obama administration's decision
to send in more troops has Pakistan under conflicting political pressures. While
the US wants to eliminate al-Qaeda sanctuaries along the Afghan border, the Army
is focused on rooting out the Taliban, which has wrecked havoc in the country
in the recent past. "Our military and civilian leaders need to speak with one
voice, so the Americans can see we mean business. But we have to keep our own
long-term interests in mind, while taking on the extremist groups that are of
concern to them," said Imtiaz Gul, a political analyst. Despite President Obama's
opinion that Pakistan and Afghanistan face a 'commom enemy' and the US offering
billions of dollar in aid to help Islamabad overcome the current chaotic condition,
a majority of Pakistanis blame Washington itself for the mess, experts believe.
"The U.S. is seen as an occupier in Afghanistan, and there's no way that can be
turned around. A Taliban victory in Afghanistan would be 'terrible for Pakistan,'
but that the United States had created the problem and must clean up the mess
before it leaves," said Pervez Hoodbhoy, Islamabad based nuclear physicist and
defence analyst. Hikmet Karzai, Director of the Center for Conflict and Peace
Studies in Kabul, said the addition of troops would not help resolve the issue,
but would only aggravate the conflict. Karzai said the problem would persist for
years to come, unless both Pakistan and Afghanistan discuss the actual cause of
the trouble. "Unless we really solve the challenge and the issue of Pakistan,
I think you can bring in 50,000 more soldiers, 100,000 more soldiers, but in my
view we will still have this problem. I think we're going to be in this mess for
a very long time," Karzai said. |
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