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Pakistan's political stability and anti-terror resolve bolster U.S. hopes
Writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Trudy Rubin notes President Asif Ali Zardari's success in dealing with recent political developments and Pakistan 's military leadership's growing consciousness about the violent extremists' threat, are pieces of good news on the Pakistani horizon. "President Asif Ali Zardari seems to have weathered a campaign by opponents to force him out of office," she says. Rubin also praises the Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani's effective diplomatic efforts vis-a-vis U.S.-Pakistan cooperation. She remarks the Pakistani president's exit would have hampered efforts in the fight against militants. "So would the removal, now averted, of Pakistan's effective ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani," who had been "unfairly blamed for conditions that Congress imposed on aid to Pakistan " under Kerry-Lugar bill. The writer also notes that President Zardari recognizes the existential threat that militants pose to the Pakistani state and has been urging the need to confornt the jihadis. In her widely read coloumn, Worldview, Rubin says "the second piece of good news: Pakistan's military leadership now seems to recognize the need to battle jihadis" and cites successful campaigns in Swat valley and South Waziristan tribal area. In this context, the expert also refers the U.S. military leadership's optimism about future cooperation with its Pakistani counterparts. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lauded Pakistan's military commander, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, and his operations against the Taliban. Mullen said he saw a shift in the way the Pakistan was looking at the future security needs, a shift that "would be influenced by whether a more stable situation emerges in Afghanistan." "It's going to take some time," the admiral added. "There's a patience level we all have to recognize."
WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (APP):
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