Pak. against J&K 'struggle' being termed 'terrorist'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 14. The U.S. Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, would arrive here on Monday evening, at the start of his visit to Pakistan and India, to exchange views with the Musharraf Government on the emerging situation in view of the U.S.-led military campaign against Afghanistan.

The military Government here is looking forward to the opportunity to raise the issue of Kashmir in the context of India-Pakistan relations and impress upon the Bush administration the ``designs'' of the Indian Government to bracket the Kashmir ``struggle'' with terrorism.

Gen. Powell, during his stay here, would hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Mr. Abdul Sattar, and also call on the Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf.

This would be the first high-level visit of any U.S. official after the September 11 attacks. According to the Foreign Office, during the official talks, the focus would be on the situation in Afghanistan, Pak.-India relations and Kashmir.

``This is an important visit at an important juncture,'' the Foreign Office spokesman, Mr. Riaz Mohammad Khan, told a news conference here on Saturday. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S. would be present during Gen. Powell's visit.

A Washington-datelined report by the Associated Press of Pakistan, the official news agency of Pakistan, said that earlier in the week, addressing the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Lodhi had said it was important to anchor Pak.-U.S. engagement in the coming years on strategic convergence of the two countries in a sustained, long-term manner.

The Ambassador was invited to speak to the Council on the response of the U.S. to terrorism. The agency quoted her as saying that the present situation was full of ``perils and opportunities.'' From her vantage point, Pakistan had once again become a ``frontline state'' and a renewed partnership between the U.S. and Pakistan was taking shape.

She told the Council that the present moment in history might mark a paradigm shift in the post-Cold War world. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, an international coalition had been assembled in the battle against terrorism and that might define the context of a new post-Cold War order.

``The way this, as yet, unscripted process would fully unfold, and later settle down, would have consequences for the entire world for many years to come,'' she added. Dr. Lodhi noted that the terrorist attacks had illustrated the new dimensions of international security and instability emanating from asymmetrical threats.

On the side of opportunities, she pointed to the international coalition already working to fight terrorism. There was also an opportunity to finally bring peace to Afghanistan and stabilise its neighbourhood.

In the long term, there was a possibility to address the conflicts and disputes, which lie at the root of the anger and frustration which generate despair and terrorism.

She cautioned against walking away from the region after the conflict and strongly emphasised the need for continued engagement of the world community in Afghanistan to ensure its post-conflict economic reconstruction and revival.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : WTO meet may be shifted from Doha?
Next     : Pakistan seeks U.S. help