Page 16 - Red Mosque News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Gen. Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup and later led a reluctant Pakistan into aiding the U.S. "war on terror" in Afghanistan against the Taliban.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup and later led a reluctant Pakistan into aiding the U.S. "war on terror" in Afghanistan against the Taliban.

Musharraf ruled the nuclear-armed state after his 1999 coup through tensions with India, an atomic proliferation scandal and an Islamic extremist insurgency.

To garner the full counterterrorism cooperation the U.S. requiresfrom Islamabad, Washington must develop a realistic and hard-nosed policy that takes on Pakistan's ambivalence toward goinghead-to-head with terrorists. Washington must be diligent inpursuing policies that promote the safety and security ofIslamabad's nuclear assets.

The dramatic events in Pakistan during the last 10 months,including the assassination of two-time Prime Minister BenazirBhutto, cast doubt on the future stability of the country. The U.S.should refrain from cutting military assistance and develop aforward-looking strategic approach to improving U.S.-Pakistancounterterrorism cooperation in these areas.