Pakistan to play a pivotal
role By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - As the Pakistan military
establishment's pro-United States policies continue to
receive harsh criticism domestically, Washington is now
pressuring Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf
to undertake yet another operation against foreign
militants and their proteges in Pakistan's tribal
regions of South and North Waziristan near the
Afghanistan border.
The most recent operation in
South Waziristan kicked off two weeks ago and failed
miserably, with the official figure listing about 50 of
the Pakistan Army's officers and soldiers killed and no
"prize targets" captured. Asia Times Online sources
maintain the casualty figure is actually much higher.
Now, Musharraf has been pushed back under the
microscope. Through many reshuffles in the Pakistan
army, Musharraf has managed to maintain his writ as
chief of army staff, while holding onto his position as
president of Pakistan - however this issue is reemerging
as a source of contention in Pakistan. There is also
intense debate in the armed forces hierarchy following
the failed operation in Wana, the headquarters of South
Waziristan agency, that the two offices should be
separated to keep the army out of politics.
Such
calls for the division of military and state come in the
wake of several "high value target" myths established
over the duration of the operation. At the start of the
fighting, it was implied that al-Qaeda number two, Dr
Ayman al-Zawahiri, was hiding out in the region, an
allegation later dismissed by the army. More recently,
it was suggested that two high-level al-Qaeda members,
Tahir Yuldevish and "Abdullah", were seriously wounded
and killed - in that order. Yuldevish is the leading
commander of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,
meanwhile Abdullah's story would have ridiculed the army
had the world known his background, given that
Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR)
department initially branded him to be a key al-Qaeda
member.
Yuldashev and "Abdullah" are two of the
most famous characters among the Pakistani jihadis -
each featured in movies that are in circulation all over
the country. Yuldashev can be seen addressing the
Islamic cause in which he justifies their fight against
the US by providing various glimpses of brutalities in
Israel and in Chechnya. "Abdullah" is a Chechan guerilla
who is known among the jihadis for his classic guerilla
fights. He is shown in the movies killing Russian
soldiers.
US bombings in Afghanistan forced
Yuldevish to leave northern Afghanistan some time ago,
his whereabouts are currently unknown, however, he was
last believed to have been hiding out in Khost.
Pakistani authorities took the lead from there and
established their own guess that Yuldevish was hiding
out in the Shawal mountains - a no-man's land on the
Pakistan-Afghan border - and even claimed that he was
wounded. Given the popularity of Abdullah in Pakistan,
it was presumed that he should also be in Afghanistan,
and his status was elevated by the ISPR to that of chief
spy master of al-Qaeda. Soon after, however, it was
recognized that there was no evidence of his presence in
Afghanistan. He was eventually presumed dead, but it was
later stated by the ISPR that he is not the chief spy
master, but rather an ordinary spy: "an Egyptian" whose
body had not yet been recovered.
These attempts
to "glorify" the Wana operation were unable to cover up
its failure and repercussions. The Pakistan army is
split on an ethnic basis. Before the operation started
in South Waziristan, Musharraf prematurely retired Corps
Commander Peshawar Ali Jan Orakzai, a Pashtun, and
installed Lieutenant-General Safdar Hussain - a Punjabi.
The development was seen as anti-Pashtun among the
Pashtun officers who are the second largest majority
after Punjabi officers. These feelings of tension were
clearly reflected during the operation, from both sides.
Several soldiers and a few officers of Pashtun origin
refused to participate in actions taken against the
Pashtun tribals.
The way in which Pashtun
tribals dealt with hostages is also a reflection of this
split. The tribals that held Pashtun paramilitary force
members hostage are said to have treated them with
respect, later releasing them after a deal with
Pakistani authorities. However, the soldiers that were
of Punjab descent were killed and their bodies
mutilated.
High-level sources tell Asia Times
Online that in the face of these failures, Musharraf now
faces two immediate challenges.
Firstly, the US
military high command has been regularly been visiting
Pakistan and is stressing the need for a complete
crackdown on foreign fighters along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, starting from Khyber
Agency to South Waziristan. They emphasized that the
mission can only be successful if both US and Pakistani
forces conduct joint operations in the area. The aim of
this operation is once again to destroy the base of
jihadi fighters believed to be in the Shawal mountains.
Thus another operation in South and North Waziristan is
inevitable, despite the public outcry sure to ensue.
The second challenge Musharraf is up against
comes from the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA). IAEA inspectors are now in Iran and aim to come
Pakistan to verify the Iranian centrifuge facility with
Pakistan - which means they will be paying a visit to
Pakistan's nuclear installations, another issue
sensitive to the Pakistani public.
Non-compliance with these two challenges is
difficult for Pakistan, as the country is under heavy US
pressure. But, on the other hand, compliance means
giving Islamic radicals the chance to wreak further
havoc. They are already seeking out this opportunity -
under broader designs chalked out by the International
Islamic Front - in which the success of the Afghan
resistance can only be ensured once it takes control of
Pakistan's backyard. This is only possible if the
country falls into the hands of Islamic radicals or deep
into anarchy and chaos.
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