NewsWednesday, March 19, 2008
US advised to look beyond Benazir and not turn away from Pakistan
* Former US military attaché to Pakistan says US should realise how difficult it is to provide security for leaders by reviewing its own history of assassinations
By Khalid Hasan
Washington: The United States has been advised to look beyond Benazir Bhutto’s assassination because a more serious concern is the future stability of Pakistan, and the guaranteed security of Pakistan’s several dozen nuclear weapons. According to retired Lieutenant General James R Ellis — who served as the military attaché in Pakistan for two years, replacing Brig Wassom who was killed in the Bahawalpur air crash with General Zia and several others — those who have railed against Pakistanan’s inability to protect Bhutto, it was a foregone conclusion from the time it was announced that she would return that assassination attempts would be made against her. General Elllis is of the opinion that while Americans deplore the assassination and resulting violence and desire movement towards a more democratic society, Washington cannot afford to turn away from Pakistan. “We must — for our own national interests — maintain our influence there by supporting whatever government emerges from the recent elections. Of equal importance, we must continue to support the Pakistan Army if we are to have success in neighbouring Afghanistan and in maintaining continued stability in the region. Many in the West do not wish to accept the fact that Pakistanan’s Army is the strongest and most enduring institution in the country and is the greatest source of internal stability; during previous periods of government by elected prime ministers, it was the Army’s decision whether or not to back the government that determined its lifespan and success.” He writes in the March issue of CTC Sentinel, published by the Combating Terrorism Centre at the West Point Military Academy, “Given the way she mingled with the crowds and the fact that crowd control in the country is extremely difficult, it was only a matter of time before someone or some group was successful. Indeed, before criticising other governments for failure to provide security to their political leaders, we should look at our own history to see how difficult this can be. The United States has had four presidents assassinated in its history, and there have been many assassination attempts against sitting presidents and presidential candidates.”
Courtesy Daily Times