This is in apropos to a news report in which the US and Pakistan expressed their new desire to repair the damage done after the US unilateral raid into Pakistan on May 2 to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. With the arrest of senior Al-Qaeda operative Sheikh Younis-al-Mauritani, a confidant of Osama bin Laden, Pakistan’s south-western province of Balochistan straight away came into international spotlight. Three weeks earlier, the death of Al-Qaeda’s No 2 Atiyah Abd-al-Rahman on August 22 in a drone strike almost diminished the chances of another 9/11-style attack by Al-Qaeda operatives.
The US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta has said the strategic defeat of Al-Qaeda is within reach if the United States can kill or capture up to 20 remaining leaders of the core group and its affiliates. Nonetheless, the potential for 9/11 type of attack remains very real from the Al-Qaeda operatives hiding in the mountains of Pakistan-Afghanistan bordering areas. The recent detentions at Quetta invited Taliban’s wrath – in the form of deadly suicide attacks on the house of DIG FC, Brig Farrukh Shehzad. One can assess the potential of the Al-Qaeda operatives prowling the area, from this very attack.
It is pertinent to mention here, that Americans have been showing immense interest in Balochistan about the activities of less known “Quetta Shura” – allegedly a sleeping cell of Al-Qaeda group. The US Ambassador Cameron Munter has also endorsed its significance probably due to the credible intelligence intercepts revealing that senior Al-Qaeda leaders like, Mullah Umar, Ayman al-Zwahiri, and others operatives are hiding in Balochistan.
The White House spokesman Josh Earnest described the arrest of a senior Al-Qaeda leader in Pakistan as an example of the longstanding partnership between the US and Pakistan in fighting terrorism. Pakistan also responded positively with a promise to continue to work closely together to enhance its security. It is a good sign, as US-Pakistani ties are too strategic to break. It is beyond doubt that US always comes forward to help when Pakistan is confronted with some difficult situation. Pakistan again needs American assistance, especially in the field of: planning for a Central Asian gas pipeline, relief aid during floods, civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan akin to Indo-US deal-2005 to handle energy crises, construction of large dams, poverty alleviation regimes, developmental schemes in tribal area, like economic zones, continuation of unconditional CSF, etc.
IMRAN KHAN
Islamabad
u r right
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