Finally... the US starts punishing Pakistan for its duplicity

It looks as though the US has finally plucked up the courage to publicly face down the most politically awkward of state sponsored terrorism. Yesterday it was announced that USD 800mm worth of military aid to Pakistan is to be suspended, ostensibly to show anger at the expulsion of US military trainers. Up until now, America has been incredibly tolerant of Pakistan’s duplicity in the war against terror. They are, admittedly, an important strategic ally in that much of the focus of the war is in the feral and ungoverned border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, there must come a time when the game playing becomes too much.

This is an important show of strength by the US. Since the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, who had been holed up unmolested right next to one of Pakistan’s main military academy for years, the role of the state in perpetuating the status quo has been thrown into the spotlight. The fact that the operation was carried out without the prior knowledge and clearance of Pakistan’s army serves to show the trust within their relationship has dwindled. The argument goes that Bin Laden could not possibly have stayed hidden in such an obvious compound, right next to a major military base, without at least some form of official acquiescence. I find it hard to credibly argue against this analysis.

That is especially true when viewed through the prism of suspicion that obscures the ISI (Pakistan’s military intelligence agency) nearly every time they hit the news. They have long been suspected of funding and training the Taliban, thereby running directly contrary to the aims of their supposed collaboration with NATO. The horrifying ground assault launched on Mumbai by Pakistani militants in November 2008 also appear to have been supported (at the very least) by the ISI. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that intelligence on insurgents supplied to Pakistan ends up in the hands of the targets themselves, thereby allowing them to make a quick escape before the token military operation takes place.

Given that the frozen aid falls under the ‘military’ sector of the US’s overall help to Pakistan, it is almost certain that at least some of the funds and equipment would have found their way into the hands of the ISI. Given the high degree of suspicion that always seems to surround this shady organisation, the only wonder is that these steps were not taken sooner. America happily funded and trained the Mujahideen to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, only to pay a heavy price once it became clear that in doing so they had created a paradise for Islamic extremists.

The current situation is even more perverse, in that the US is indirectly funding the same group of terrorists it is fighting a war against. The cynic in me would have previously put this down to the perpetuation of the military industrial complex. Fortunately the US top brass appears finally to be waking up to the absurdity of the status quo.