Dr Farrukh Saleem

The writer is an Islamabad-based

freelance columnist

farrukh15@hotmail.com

Q: Which countries are on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism?

A: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea and Cuba (the first five are Muslim). Notice that Afghanistan is being bombed although it is not on the list.

Q: How many entities has the US designated as 'Foreign Terrorist Organisations'?

A: There are nearly five dozen entries including at least four from Pakistan namely Harkat-ul-Ansar, Harkat-ul-Mujahidin, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. There are six foreign terrorist organisations in Northern Ireland, perhaps the most that any country has, but that country has never been bombed by the US. Taliban are being bombed although they have never been on the list of foreign terrorist organisations.

Q: What was the nationality of the 19 alleged hijackers who crashed into the WTC?

A: Primarily, Middle Eastern. Saudi Arabian and UAE nationals. Not one of the alleged hijackers was identified as Afghan but several thousand Afghani children have since been killed.

Q: Is a Northern Alliance-dominated government in Kabul a threat to Pakistan?

A: How can any Afghan government be a threat to Pakistan? With 800,000 Pakistanis in arms and an annual defence allocation of Rs157 billion no government to our West can be a threat to us. If our commanders are still afraid of the Afghans then their wives ought to be buying them bangles for Eid.

Q: What are American objectives in Afghanistan?

A: The stated objectives are to get Osama and destroy his 'terrorist network'. Eight weeks of intense bombing has achieved neither. The real objective must, therefore, be to let the world know who has the biggest bomb of them all.

Q: Who has taken over the formulation of American foreign policy?

A: The Pentagon is in. The Department of State is out. Hawks led by Rumsfeld are in. Powell hasn't been seen for three weeks. All other doves have also been sidelined. That's very unfortunate because Powell was the only voice of reason left on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Q: What's the Phase II of the current 'war on terrorism'?

A: Iraq, Somalia, Yemen or Sudan. Someone is going to get it. The question is when, how and who. Bush has said time and again that Afghanistan is only the beginning not the end. Since the Afghan War has been good for Bush's approval rating (currently at 89%) why not expand it. Seventy-eight percent Americans now favour "US forces taking military action against Iraq to topple Saddam Hussain."

Q: How long would the marines stay in Kandahar for?

A: The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU-Charlie Company) that has now established a Forward Operating Base dubbed 'Camp Justice' is usually commanded by a colonel and is capable of performing combat operations of a limited scope. A typical MEU has 2,200 personnel (half that number may already be in Kandahar) and normally lands with a 30-day quota of supplies.

Towards the endgame, Osama will probably be left with a thousand fighters around him (which would be no match for the MEU). America is here to get Osama and not to engage in any extended urban warfare.

Q: How about Afghan reconstruction?

A: We were told earlier that Pakistan is going to get billions of dollars of external debt written off. The same people are now talking about billions going into Afghan reconstruction. If the Pentagon has already begun talking about its next target-country then chances are that Afghanistan shall be forgotten as soon as America's military objectives are achieved. American ground forces are now very close to their final target area.

Q: How about a broad-based, representative government in Kabul?

A: There hasn't been either a representative or a broad-based government for a hundred years. Why now? For five consecutive years, Pushtuns who were a mere 38% of the Afghan population controlled more than 90% of the territory. The Tajiks are now the victors. They are 25% of the population but they are going to get more than their fair share of meat. As long as America needs the Northern Alliance to do its dirty work in Afghanistan America would have to listen to the Alliance's leaders. That indeed is the main stumbling block for a fair government. In a recent Washington/ABC News poll, only 22 percent of Americans want Washington to play a role in forming a new government in Afghanistan.

Q: What should Pakistan learn from its Afghan experience?

A: First, Pakistan should forget about attempting to subjugate Afghanistan and work towards a stable Afghanistan. The ISI dream of a subservient neighbour in the West has gone terribly sour. Our army

leadership, because of its all-encompassing enmity against India, has long tolerated domestic fundamentalist terrorists using them as proxies in Kashmir. It's an opportunity for our president to move Pakistan away from this vicious circle of violence. Second, after what we have done in Afghanistan no significant Afghan power-block will look at us as friends. Third, our bomb can do next to nothing for us.

Q: Is the army going to learn anything from the failure of its Afghan policy?

A: It doesn't look like it. The first thing that came to President Musharraf's mind during his visit to Washington was F-16s. He wasn't thinking

of 50 million Pakistanis living below the poverty line or 100 million Pakistanis who don't have access to clean water.

Q: Is there a winner in the latest Afghan tragedy?

A: If there is one then it has to be Russia. The Northern Alliance, Putin's proxies, now control over three-quarters of Afghanistan. In Pakistan, the extremist elements are on a retreat and that's one area where Musharraf has won.

Q: Can the Americans maintain permanent bases in Afghanistan?

A: The longer the Americans stay in Afghanistan the higher are the odds that Pushtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks will all get together to kick the foreigners out. After pushing the 'common enemy' away they will all re-start their infighting. The Americans understand that very well.

Q: How about Pak-American relationship?

A: So far, it has been more like a bad marriage. Pakistan has to stay with the US but the all-important element of trust is missing. The US feels that Pakistan, more often than not, works against American interests while Pakistan seems convinced that the US is sleeping with Pakistan's enemies.

Q: Any lessons for the American government?

A: First, double standards do not pay. Terrorism must be condemned whether undertaken by American friends or foes. Second, Muslims, just like believers of any other faith, love freedom-a choice to shave or not, go to cinema, sing and dance. If America stops maintaining double standards, condemns terrorism-whether by Israel or others-and let people elect their leaders-whether in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere-it will eventually have more friends than foes. Third, Rumsfeld and Osama may actually now be in agreement that the US army should vacate Saudi Arabia.

Q: Any lesson for the American public?

A: Innocent men, women and children are being bombed so that Americans can live better (or so is being claimed by the American government). As far as civil liberties are concerned, Americans are far worse off today than they were merely 12 weeks ago. September 11 has transformed the 'most civilized' of governments into arguably the most 'barbaric'.