In a nationally televised address designed to persuade Pakistanis to overcome their unease with confronting another Muslim state, Gen. Pervez Musharraf said the United States hasn’t finalized plans to attack Afghanistan to get at suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. But he said Washington has asked for permission to use Pakistani airspace and wants to share information and receive logistical support if it goes forward.
Musharraf said Pakistan’s future hinges on its joining the international community in the war on terrorism because it would risk political isolation if it declined to cooperate.
But he made it clear the decision to participate in a potential war along its border against a country with the same religious heritage was so agonizing it represented “the lesser of two evils.” The greater danger, he said, was leaving Pakistan vulnerable to charges, perhaps leveled by archenemy India, that it was abetting terrorism.
“At the moment,” he said, “I’m only worried about Pakistan.”
Musharraf must blunt rising domestic opposition to his support for the United States. A key religious party leader Wednesday called for a nationwide strike on Friday to protest the American threats to attack Afghanistan.
Sami-ul Haq, a leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam, said there was no proof or legal justification for targeting bin Laden, and he argued that an attack on Afghanistan could destabilize the region.
Laying out a dire scenario regarding any proposed American-led military campaign against Afghanistan for harboring bin Laden, Haq said that Afghan refugees could overwhelm Pakistan and lead to calls from Taliban religious leaders for an Islamic jihad, or holy war, against the United States, which he said that Pakistani religious leaders would be compelled to follow.
“The expected American attack will lead to unending destruction and war in this region,” Haq warned.
In the Afghan capital of Kabul, several hundred religious scholars from across the country convened a special Shura council Wednesday to consider the U.S. demand for bin Laden. A decision is expected Thursday at the earliest.
Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s reclusive leader, has convened Shura councils in the past, usually to act as a rubber stamp on his decisions.
Mullah supports bin Laden
At the start of Wednesday’s council session, held in the rocket-scarred presidential palace, a statement from Omar indicating his disinclination to surrender bin Laden was read aloud.
“Our system is a true example of an Islamic system. For the enemies of religion and our country, this system is like a thorn in their eyes, and they are trying to destroy it under various pretexts,” the statement said.
“Holding Osama bin Laden responsible for the various strikes in New York and Washington is an excuse. Afghanistan does not have resources, nor is Osama that powerful, nor does he have the contacts with the outside world to carry out or plan such attacks. We also do not give him permission to use Afghan territory against any other country,” it said.
“We have told America that if it has any evidence, give it to the Afghan Supreme Court, or let the clerics from any three Islamic countries decide his case, or he could be placed under the observation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference [a body representing 52 Islamic nations]. But these offers have all been rejected,” it said.
Omar called on the clerics to make their decision “in light of Islamic law.”
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Bin Laden’s whereabouts remain a mystery, but the most reliable information suggests he has taken refuge in a remote part of Afghanistan.
As the anti-bin Laden rhetoric in the United States heats up, so too does the reaction in Pakistan. In the border city of Peshawar, protesters burned American flags. In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, protesters burned effigies of Musharraf and President Bush.
Anti-American demonstrations have long been a political staple in Pakistan, but diplomats believe that the anger in the streets is far from the level where it threatens the stability of Musharraf’s government.
Man in the middle
Musharaff’s predicament is that Pakistan is caught in the middle both politically and religiously. It is a moderate Muslim nation that is trying to contain a growing fundamentalist movement at home. It can’t afford bad relations with either the radical Islamic Taliban of Afghanistan or the United States.
Musharraf explained in his speech that he has tried and failed over time to persuade the world community to engage the Taliban instead of isolating it, but as part of the anti-terrorism coalition Pakistan can still try to influence the way the world deals with Afghanistan.
He said that in agreeing to the U.S. requests, he had asked that Washington “exercise balance” and provide whatever evidence it has that bin Laden was responsible for last week’s devastating coordinated attacks.
“How can we save Afghanistan and the Taliban from being harmed, or trying to lessen the harm?” he said. “Can we do it by cutting off the international community, or by going with them? I’m convinced . . . that if we go along with the international community we can influence their decisions.”
Musharraf also argued that targeting the Taliban was about chasing down terrorists and was not an attack on Islam.
“The Afghan people and Islam are not the targets,” he said.
The assertion was meant to counteract the notion held by some Pakistanis that it is Islam and by extension Pakistan that is under siege as well as bin Laden and his supporters.
Lack of enthusiasm
While Musharraf said that the overwhelming majority of the country backed his position, his words tacitly acknowledged that there was no great enthusiasm among Pakistanis for supporting Washington in a war against a Muslim neighbor.
Just as Islamic nations needed to tread carefully in joining the U.S.-led coalition against Muslim Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf war, Musharraf has worked hard to avoid any kind of showdown. He has met with politicians, religious figures and editors to talk about Pakistan’s position and sent a delegation to Afghanistan to try to persuade the Taliban to turn over bin Laden before trouble happens.
Puzzle still unsolved
Though more than a week has passed since the attacks by four teams of terrorists believed to have Arab roots, there are many other pieces of the puzzle still to be found.
Exactly who was responsible for the attacks isn’t known for certain, despite the identification of bin Laden’ as the chief suspect. The United States has not laid out evidence in detail against his organization, nor has it made clear what its military plans are beyond declaring a war on terrorism.
There was also a hint by Musharraf that Pakistan stands to benefit from its cooperation with Washington. According to some speculation, Pakistan, which is laboring under $37 billion in external debt, is trying to negotiate for relief from the $3 billion it owes the United States.
While not referring to any possible deal, he said, Pakistan found itself in the most critical situation since its split with Bangladesh in 1971.
“Bad results could endanger our very existence,” Musharraf said. “But with fruitful results we could emerge as a powerful nation.”