Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, Chairman
“U.S.-Pakistan Relations: Assassination, Instability and the Future of U.S.
Policy”
House Subcommittee on the Middle East
and South Asia
The
Subcommittee will come to order. On December 27 former Pakistani Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated and 20 of
her supporters were killed by a suicide bomber as she left a peaceful political
rally. That blast not only plunged Pakistan into chaos, it also blew
away Bush Administration policy. The blinding flash that accompanied the explosion
illuminated the narrowness of a policy that relied on individual personalities
instead of broad-based institutions and on tactical adjustments instead of
long-range strategic goals. And for anyone who hasn’t been paying
attention, the blast was just the latest in a long string of attacks announcing
that extremists have turned their sights on the government of Pakistan and anyone who gets in
their way will be eliminated.
2007 was a year filled with violence and political instability in Pakistan.
In March President Musharraf fired the Chief Justice and sparked angry protests
by lawyers not ordinarily noted for turning out in the streets and hurling
stones at police. After the Supreme Court reinstated the Chief Justice,
President Musharraf insisted on pursuing his re-election as President even
though he was still Chief of Army Staff. Many in Pakistan’s civil society
viewed this as unconstitutional and so to avoid a widely assumed decision by
the Supreme Court to nullify Musharraf’s candidacy, he imposed emergency rule,
fired all the judges, arrested democracy and civil society activists,
restricted the media and unilaterally amended the constitution to protect
himself and his candidacy for President.
While President Musharraf was busy roiling the political waters of Pakistan,
the extremists went on about their business. The Lahore-based Pak
Institute for Peace Studies recently issued a report which counted 1,442
terrorist attacks, incidents of political violence and border clashes last
year. Those attacks along with Pakistani military operations in Western Pakistan left 3,448 people dead. Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in Pakistan, was the exclamation point on what was a very deadly year.
What is clear is that before Pakistan
devolves any further in chaos and violence, U.S. policy has to change. It
is obvious that the Administration’s reliance on President Musharraf to bring
democracy to Pakistan
while fighting against the extremists has not worked. There has been
neither success against terrorism nor a return to democracy. The United States needs a new approach to Pakistan
that puts as much emphasis on building stable, free and moderate institutions
as it does on fighting terrorists.
The
foundation for such a policy is already there. A recent survey done by
the United States Institute for Peace and World Public Opinion, shows that
Pakistanis overwhelming view having elected leadership as important. The
support for democratic governance is there. What is missing is any faith
that current government institutions operate in a way that benefit Pakistani
citizens.
The Bush Administration needs to build on the Pakistani view of the importance
of democracy and needs to start by insisting that the elections on February 18
are free and fair. I agree with those who argue that this will be
difficult to achieve especially since the election commission and the courts
were stacked by Musharraf while Pakistan
was under emergency rule. But at a minimum, the moderate political
parties should be allowed to fully participate so there isn’t a repeat of the
2002 elections when the Islamist parties faired better than at any previous
point in Pakistan’s
history. International monitors must be allowed reasonably unfettered
access to observe the process and should not be encumbered by the 150 pages of
rules and restrictions recently issued by the government. Lastly, the
media restrictions that remained in place after emergency rule was lifted
should be removed. Not allowing anyone to comment or report critically on
the government removes a major check on those who would seek to falsify the
results.
While these steps will go far, a credible investigation of former Prime
Minister Bhutto’s assassination will also help restore some level of trust in
government. Otherwise, Ms. Bhutto’s death will become the province of
conspiracy theorists and just another in a long line of mysterious, unsolved
deaths of Pakistani leaders.
Along with these steps, the fight against terror must continue, but something
fundamental must change – Pakistanis must come to see this fight as their own.
They must come to view the suicide attacks against the police, the military,
government ministers, and moderate political leaders, attacks in which many
thousands of innocent Pakistanis have been killed, as attacks against them,
against their state, against their institutions, and against their
democracy. I fear that until Pakistanis come to this realization no government
in Pakistan, elected or otherwise, will have the political legitimacy to fight
terror in a more aggressive and successful manner.
Lastly, I believe we should undertake a fundamental reappraisal of U.S. assistance to Pakistan. We have for too
long provided the military with the bulk of our assistance and neglected
assistance aimed at building and strengthening democratic institutions.
I’m not suggesting that we cut all military assistance, it is clear that we
need to help Pakistan acquire the capabilities necessary to fight the
extremists, capabilities, by the way, that Pakistani officials tell me they
need. But when I see them using their national funds to purchase F-16’s
or anti-submarine surveillance planes, I can’t help but wonder whether they
don’t have an enemy other than terrorism in mind. The United States needs
to be clear that our first, second and third priorities will focus on
counter-insurgency equipment and training, whether we are using FMF or
authorizing commercial sales, that provides the Pakistanis with the
counter-terrorism capabilities they claim they need.
The United States is at a
crossroads with regard to Pakistan.
It is clear that despite the deaths of many, many Pakistani soldiers and
police, the fight against terrorism has not gone the way we would have
hoped. It is equally clear that Pakistan is no closer to genuine
democracy and arguably a good bit further away. It’s time to change
course and build a new and different relationship with Pakistan.
I’d now like to yield to my good friend from Indiana, Mr. Pence for any opening
remarks he may wish to make.
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