How Important Pakistan is for the West?

Daily Times, March 7, 2006
‘Pakistan is the most important country for US’
By Ali Waqar

LAHORE: Pakistan is the most important country for the US, Europe, China and Japan and any distinction against Pakistan will cost the countries considerably, said Dr Mubashir Hasan, former federal finance minister and noted human rights activist, while talking to Daily Times about American President George Bush’s recent visit to South Asia, especially Pakistan.

Dr Hasan, who is also a founding member of the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) and the Punjab Pakistan Peoples Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) president, said Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Bush’s meeting in Islamabad was a success. Giving quite a different view than other people on the American president’s visit, Hasan said Bush had taken a great risk by visiting Pakistan and it showed that Pakistan was important to the US.

“The American president took a great risk, although Washington had declared Pakistan a high-risk area and this shows Pakistan’s importance not only to Bush, but also his wife Laura Bush.”

“I am glad that Bush made no announcements like the ones he made in India and this is because he understands that Pakistanis dislike America,” he said, “The more Bush praises Pakistan, the more people would dislike Musharraf.” The more publicly the US announces assistance to the Pakistani government, the people of Pakistan would think that the government was a friend of the US, a country that people are against politically.

“Musharraf and Bush’s joint message contained all the points that Pakistan had raised at the meeting, but the question is how and when will the US government remove sanctions on the sale of weapons and restrictions on Pakistani experts,” the doctor said, “As far as America’s generosity to India is concerned, the results are yet to come.”

“India’s position has not changed because of its diplomacy and some Pakistanis were unnecessarily worried about India’s size and its apparent might,” he added.

He said the government and the people of Pakistan were strong enough to defend their country. “Countries exist because of their will to remain independent, not because they have large armies,” he added.

“It is unfortunate that the opposition refused to attend the dinner hosted by Pakistan in Bush’s honour because it was Pakistan’s dinner, not Musharraf’s,” he said on the opposition’s role during Bush’s visit.

“They run to the embassies in Pakistan and Commonwealth secretary general taking for their complaints against the government, while on the other hand they act differently when the boss of the developed world comes to Pakistan,” Hasan added.