Pakistan troops hunt bin Laden
By Greg Sheridan, Foreign editor - February 25, 2004
PAKISTAN has sent helicopter gunships, ground troops and paramilitary forces to its remote northwest frontier provinces to hunt down al-Qa'ida fugitives, and perhaps Osama bin Laden.
The move comes after British reports that bin Laden had been cornered in the area and is likely to be captured or killed in the next few days.
At the same time, in the US, President George W. Bush told a meeting of governors that "we are on the hunt for al-Qa'ida ... we're going pretty good, better than pretty good".
Previously, Pakistan has claimed its military could not operate in the lawless tribal areas where both al-Qa'ida and the deposed Taliban from neighbouring Afghanistan have widespread support.
That claim would make the regime of General Pervez Musharraf one of the only military dictatorships to find a key piece of its own territory beyond its influence. This would be doubly odd given Pakistan's ability to operate beyond its borders.
Its notorious Inter Services Intelligence directorate effectively created the Taliban in Afghanistan, and has financed, supported and at times directed terrorist operations in several parts of the world.
But Pakistan under Musharraf has become the wild card of international politics. No one, but no one, knows which end is being played against which in Pakistani politics.
However, it may be that the two recent assassination attempts against Musharraf have convinced him that he has to destroy al-Qa'ida and the Taliban in his own country or they will destroy him.
There are other intriguing and mysterious dynamics at work. We have just learnt that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has sold nuclear weapons technology and materials over many years to Libya, North Korea and Iran. The Pakistanis have claimed Dr Khan did this without government knowledge.
Yet Washington and even New Delhi have more or less accepted this ludicrous explanation at face value, although privately both US and Indian officials scorn it.
Thus, the greatest and most destructive act of nuclear proliferation in the history of the human race has gone largely unprotested, largely unremarked.
The reason Washington and New Delhi have taken this benign attitude is that they believe Musharraf, for all his spectacular history of duplicity and military adventurism, is their best bet in turning Pakistan against terrorism, Islamist extremism and nuclear proliferation.
As a result, right now Musharraf owes Washington big time.
What better way to repay such a debt than by producing bin Laden?
The capture of bin Laden would totally transform the dynamics of the US presidential election.
It would vindicate virtually everything Bush has done since 9/11.
While the intricate conspiracies within conspiracies that constitute Pakistani military politics are beyond external analysis, there has always been a minority view, especially in Indian intelligence, which knows Pakistan better than anyone, that the Pakistanis either have bin Laden in custody or would be able to lay their hands on him if they really wanted to.
At the very least, they're making a new show of trying to help the Americans by fighting the terrorists. At the most, they could be offering a much bigger prize indeed.
At the same time, in the US, President George W. Bush told a meeting of governors that "we are on the hunt for al-Qa'ida ... we're going pretty good, better than pretty good".
Previously, Pakistan has claimed its military could not operate in the lawless tribal areas where both al-Qa'ida and the deposed Taliban from neighbouring Afghanistan have widespread support.
That claim would make the regime of General Pervez Musharraf one of the only military dictatorships to find a key piece of its own territory beyond its influence. This would be doubly odd given Pakistan's ability to operate beyond its borders.
Its notorious Inter Services Intelligence directorate effectively created the Taliban in Afghanistan, and has financed, supported and at times directed terrorist operations in several parts of the world.
But Pakistan under Musharraf has become the wild card of international politics. No one, but no one, knows which end is being played against which in Pakistani politics.
However, it may be that the two recent assassination attempts against Musharraf have convinced him that he has to destroy al-Qa'ida and the Taliban in his own country or they will destroy him.
There are other intriguing and mysterious dynamics at work. We have just learnt that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has sold nuclear weapons technology and materials over many years to Libya, North Korea and Iran. The Pakistanis have claimed Dr Khan did this without government knowledge.
Yet Washington and even New Delhi have more or less accepted this ludicrous explanation at face value, although privately both US and Indian officials scorn it.
Thus, the greatest and most destructive act of nuclear proliferation in the history of the human race has gone largely unprotested, largely unremarked.
The reason Washington and New Delhi have taken this benign attitude is that they believe Musharraf, for all his spectacular history of duplicity and military adventurism, is their best bet in turning Pakistan against terrorism, Islamist extremism and nuclear proliferation.
As a result, right now Musharraf owes Washington big time.
What better way to repay such a debt than by producing bin Laden?
The capture of bin Laden would totally transform the dynamics of the US presidential election.
It would vindicate virtually everything Bush has done since 9/11.
While the intricate conspiracies within conspiracies that constitute Pakistani military politics are beyond external analysis, there has always been a minority view, especially in Indian intelligence, which knows Pakistan better than anyone, that the Pakistanis either have bin Laden in custody or would be able to lay their hands on him if they really wanted to.
At the very least, they're making a new show of trying to help the Americans by fighting the terrorists. At the most, they could be offering a much bigger prize indeed.
.......According to the Great Pumpkin, ".....You're in .....iHub....., Charlie Brown....."!!!
