US Reads Musharraf the Riot Act: Pakistan Retaliates
Pakistan’s military ruler Pervez Musharraf has fallen from Washington’s good grace, reports The Times of India correspondent from Washington.
“President Bush, who called Musharraf his ‘tight buddy’ couple of years ago, has decided to send him an ‘unusually tough message’ over his failure to deliver results in the war on terrorism, the New York Times reported on Monday, quoting unnamed senior administration officials.
“Cheney, considered the hardliner in the administration most capable of delivering tough messages, is evidently the hatchet man in this case.
“US officials suggested that Bush will use a new law passed recently by the Democratic Congress, making aid to Pakistan contingent on its action against terrorism, to turn the screws on Musharraf.”
While the NYT report states: “Just hours after Vice President Dick Cheney delivered a stiff private message to President Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, the Pakistani government lashed out Monday with a series of statements insisting that ‘Pakistan does not accept dictation from any side or any source’.
“The unusual outburst, later toned down, revealed the depth of tensions between General Musharraf and Washington over what administration officials say have been inadequate efforts by Pakistan in combating Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
“ ‘There is a growing consensus that our Pakistan policy is not working,’ said Derek Chollet, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington who estimates that over the past five years the United States has sent $10 billion in aid to Pakistan — and perhaps as much in covert funds.
“Mr. Musharraf alluded to those payments in his recently published memoir, in which he wrote, ‘Those who habitually accuse us of ‘not doing enough’ in the war on terror should simply ask the C.I.A. how much prize money it has paid to the government of Pakistan.’ When asked about that assertion, C.I.A. officials have declined to answer.”
Meanwhile a Reuters report states that a suicide bomber killed at least 10 people on Tuesday in an attack on the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan where Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting after an unannounced visit (after making a surprise visit to Pakistan).
“U.S. officials said Cheney was not hurt in the blast — which took place outside a gate at the sprawling Bagram Airbase, about 60 km (40 miles) from Kabul — but a U.S. soldier died.”
opinions powered by SendLove.to
5 Responses to “US Reads Musharraf the Riot Act: Pakistan Retaliates”
Someone should clue Pakistan in that they’re not entitled to a cent of American money; we can attach any and all wavers we feel like to our aid we send them… it’s up to them to decide if the carrot’s worth the stick. As far as the Bagram suicide attack I’ve got a long post at my blog about it here.
Well, according to Christie over at Firedoglake, Cheney being in Pakistan has nothing at all to do with terrorism or al-Queda.
“Gee, you have to wonder, don’t you, what the purpose of sending Dick Cheney out of the country for non-existent non-diplomacy is this week, don’t you? … Oh, wait, let’s look over here…Libby trial avoidance, anyone?”
Clearly, this is a non-story. I don’t know why it is even here for discussion at TMV. Cheney has enraged the Pakistanis just for something to do in his fearful desperation to avoid the Washington Press Corps and the wrath of FDL during the Libby trial.
…As I read this, I thought of how it is necessary to have a Democrat in the White House. Liberals will never take foreign policy seriously unless it is one of their own making it…otherwise, they will see it all through the lens of their obsessions.
Anyhow, this is a non-story. Cheney’s trip is all really about the Libby trial.
Of course, any intelligent person can see that.
Marlow- FDL isn’t the only one saying this. The trip’s timing is a tad convenient, especially since he had agreed to testify for the defense, and now is half a world away. It does cut down on some of those inconvenient queries from the press about pre-war intel, though.
We certainly need to cut off the money we’ve been supplying to Pakistan since 9/11 in order for them to cooperate in the war on terror.
If Nicriv the Libertarian was here he would link to this from Ron Paul, the surrender monkey.
Enjoy:
http://www.antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=10584