The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which won the general elections on Feb. 18, is holding negotiations with other relevant parties on the forming of a new government.
One question is attracting widespread attention: What course will the new Pakistani government led by the PPP follow in the U.S.-led war on terror?
On Monday a suicide bombing killed Pakistani army's surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Mushtag Baig, the most senior military official to be assassinated since Pakistan joined the U.S.-led "war on terror," and seven others in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.
The suicide attack, also the most serious since the general elections, once again brought the spotlight onto the fight against terrorism in Pakistan, which has seen an increase in suicide attacks in recent months.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Pakistan has become an important partner of the United States in its "war on terror."
The United States hopes the new Pakistani government will continue the current anti-terror policy pursued by President Pervez Musharraf.
After the PPP's win in the general elections, the U.S. administration has sent lobbyists to Pakistan, in an attempt to persuade the new government to continue to cooperate with the United States in its "war on terror."
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that the new government will further cooperate with the United States in combating terrorism, while stressing that Pakistan is fighting its own anti-terror war, not the war of the United States.
"We are fighting our own war on terror, rather than the American war on terror," the PPP co-chairman said.
The PPP also appealed to the Pakistani government to halt military action in Balochistan province.
The United States believes northern Balochistan is a shelter for al Qaida and Taliban militants and Pakistani government forces have been carrying out large-scale military actions against militants in the region.
The public has shown increasing dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s cooperation with the United States in its war on terror.
An opinion poll conducted by the International Republican Institute in January revealed that, although 73 percent of Pakistanis agree that religious extremism is a serious problem in Pakistan, 89 percent said they were against Pakistan's cooperation with the United States in the war on terror, rising from 43 percent in September 2006.
To many Pakistanis, the armed confrontation with Islamic radicals remains "America's war," experts say.
They also say Pakistan's role in U.S.-led "war on terror" was a significant factor for many people to vote against President Pervez Musharraf, who is a key ally in Washington's "war on terror."
There are also some who say a successful strategy against the insurgents must also include elements other than military force, such as more funding for education, job training and social welfare.
The new movements of public opinion will have an impact on the anti-terror policy of the new government led by the PPP, analysts say.
The PPP has said the new government will reach out to the people in northwestern tribal areas but ruled out dialogue with extremists.
"Tehrik-e-Taliban," an extremist organization in Pakistan, whose leader Baitullah Mehsud is firmly believed by Pakistani and U.S. officials to be the backstage manipulator of the assassination of former PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, has declared a willingness to engage in dialogue with the new government to discuss ways to bring peace to the northwestern tribal region.
More than 80,000 Pakistani soldiers have been battling Islamic extremists in the region.
The organization also urged the incoming government to abandon the anti-terror policy of President Musharraf, threatening to launch more attacks if the new government continues to pursue the current anti-terror policy.
In response, Zardari said the new government led by the PPP will reach out to the people living in the tribal areas in the northwest and bring "democracy and reforms" to the region, but ruled out any talks between his government and the al-Qaida-backed militants.
Analysts say support from the United States will be indispensable for the PPP as the governing party, which means the new government will continue to cooperate with Washington in its war on terror.
However, the new government will not go too far in its cooperation with the United States and keep Musharraf's steadfast anti-terror policy at a distance, analysts say.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article