Mushraf is playing us for a fool. When he was Chief of Army under an elected government, he and Pakistani army had close ties with Taliban. When in 1999, he decided to attack India in the region called Kargil, the Prime Minister of Pakistan was kept in dark. When it looked like that India will not only drive back the attack in Kargil but might attack Pakistan for punishment, the primeminister came to Clinton for help.When the primeminister was told by Clinton that it was Pakistani army that attacked first and it is Pakistan that has to cease fire unconditionally, then only the primeminister came to know about it and he fired Musharaf. Mushraf then had the coup and toppled a Democratic government.
My point is the leopard does not change his spots just because he says he is fighting the war on terrorist with USA. He is doing an act because he is getting lot of financial support. However, he will not abandon these terrorists as he uses them to continue a proxy war agaisnt India in Kashmir.
Posted by suresh at December 11, 2006 09:49 AMYes, Pakistan (like Saudi Arabia and . . . the list is endless) is playing with the US government, which is blinded by its own hubris and false sense of invincibility. We can't negotiate or cooperate because we want to dominate, but we don't even do that well any more.
Posted by Don Bacon at December 11, 2006 02:00 PM