United States President George Bush cemented his anti-terrorism pact with Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf on Saturday during a 24-hour visit marked by intense security and a crackdown on anti-American protest.
Musharraf was ”committed to bringing the terrorists to justice”, Bush said after meeting the army general at the presidential palace in Islamabad. ”He understands the need to make sure our strategy is able to defeat the enemy … We will win this war together.”
As the two leaders met, Black Hawk helicopters circled over the palace. Tension was high after a suicide bombing killed a US diplomat and three Pakistanis outside the US consulate in Karachi 48 hours earlier.
The visit probably brought Bush closer to Osama bin Laden than at any time since 2001. Western intelligence believes the al-Qaeda leader is sheltering among sympathisers in the northern tribal zone, as little as 160km away.
A major concern was to ensure ”actionable” intelligence about the location of terror suspects was shared quickly, Bush told reporters. ”Pakistan needs equipment to move quickly and avoid tipping off the enemy. It’s important that we stay on the hunt,” he said.
Police and soldiers sealed off a large part of Islamabad — known as ”the red zone” — for the visit and imposed a no-fly zone for commercial flights. Cabin lights were blacked out on board Air Force One as it arrived from India on Friday night.
Bush ruled out a nuclear co-operation pact with Pakistan similar to the deal he had just inked with India. ”Pakistan and India are countries with different needs and different histories, so we will address the issue differently,” he said.
He skirted a question about sluggish democratic reform in Pakistan, where Musharraf has failed to hold promised elections. ”I believe democracy is Pakistan’s future. We share a strong commitment to democracy,” he said. Musharraf said he had introduced ”the essence of democracy” through local elections, empowerment of women and minorities and a free press, but would only consider resigning as head of the army after elections due in 2007.
The dark side of Pakistani democracy was evident outside the palace gates, where anti-US rallies had been banned and hundreds arrested, including cricket legend Imran Khan. The opposition politician, who intended to lead a rally on Saturday, was placed under house arrest as he left a dinner party late on Friday night.
”I wanted to protest against the double standards of Bush,” Khan said by cellphone from behind a line of police at his front gate. ”This is a military dictatorship with a democratic facade.”
Police detained 35 people who gathered at Rawalpindi’s Committee Square. The police, who outnumbered protesters, beat several people with sticks before driving them away. ”Nothing happened. We are just here to maintain law and order,” said Inspector Sardar Babar afterwards. Asked why his officers used violence, he said: ”I don’t want to answer any more questions.”
Muhammad Ismail (64) who witnessed the attack on his way to the shops, shook his head in dismay. ”There is no democracy in this country. If there was, people would not be beaten like this,” he said.
Musharraf’s alliance with Bush, worth about $6-billion in military and other aid since 2001, has anchored his power base but is widely unpopular among Pakistanis who detest US policy in Afghanistan, Iraq and their own tribal areas. Yesterday hundreds of heavily armed tribesmen attacked Pakistani soldiers at Miram Shah, 288km west of Islamabad, after a military attack on a supposed al-Qaeda hideout earlier this week left 45 people dead. Analysts said the attack was probably timed for the Bush visit.
Instead of the usual banners welcoming heads of state and proclaiming friendship with their country, Bush was met with a handful of dark banners saying: ”We welcome our distinguished guests.” – Guardian Unlimited Â