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Pak army siphoning off US aid in Swiss accounts
Washington, Nov 10: While Pakistani political parties are still fighting as to who would head the civilian government, Selig Harrison, an American expert on South Asian affairs, has said that the military rule in Pakistan would continue indefinitely with the generals putting more and more money in Swiss Bank accounts and buying off civilian leaders.
Washington, Nov 10: While Pakistani political parties are still fighting as to who would head the civilian government, Selig Harrison, an American expert on South Asian affairs, has said that the military rule in Pakistan would continue indefinitely with the generals putting more and more money in Swiss Bank accounts and buying off civilian leaders.
"The only way to make things better in Pakistan would be a change in American policy and the use of American economic aid leverage to push Musharraf towards civilian rule as condition for US aid. However, I don't see that happening", added Harrison, senior scholar, Woodsrow Wilson International Centre. He was addressing a conference demanding human rights protection and a fair share of resources for Sindhi people here on Saturday.
"I don't think the armed forces want a war. They are too busy making money. If there is a war, it won't be confined to Kashmir. Sindh will be in the front lines. So, it's certainly in the interest of Sindhis to work with the other forces in Pakistan favouring an end to Pakistani support for Islamic militant incursions into Kashmir", Harrison noted. Another panelist, Noor Naz Agha, a prominent lawyer in Sindh High Court, who was also a former President of the Hyderabad Division of the National Democratic Party and a democracy activist, spoke about the danger minorities face in Pakistan today. "Minorities are not safe in Pakistan. Recently, several attacks have been made on churches, hospitals, even on human rights organisations. And several people have been killed", Agha said.
Later, talking to ANI, Harrison stated, "I think the Pakistan elections were just window dressing for the continuation of military rule. And I don't think that the civilian government will be stable or be able to control the situation because Musharraf has kept all the reins in his hands. "And the most unfortunate result of the election is that he actually helped the religious parties - coalition of religious parties - come to power and deliberately kept the secular parties divided, a situation in which it was not possible for the secular parties to form a strong government on their own. So, this bargaining is not likely to have too much importance in the short run. Musharraf is running the show", observed Harrison, who was a journalist in the region for many years before turning to academia.
To a question about allegations that North Korea provided nuclear technology to Pakistan, Harrison said, "I think that there's no question that Pakistan did pay for its missiles that it got from North Korea with uranium enrichment technology. Now, we don't really know how far advanced North Korea's effort to enrich uranium has gone.
But the Musharraf government, like its civilian predecessors, did carry on this transfer of uranium enrichment technology which is very clear from what I have heard about the intelligence available". The participants also discussed the all-important water issue in Sindh. Some delegates to the Sindhi conference will spend the first two days of next week meeting American media representatives and US government officials, trying to get the word out to their American hosts that Sindh "is a cause worth fighting for".
Bureau Report
"The only way to make things better in Pakistan would be a change in American policy and the use of American economic aid leverage to push Musharraf towards civilian rule as condition for US aid. However, I don't see that happening", added Harrison, senior scholar, Woodsrow Wilson International Centre. He was addressing a conference demanding human rights protection and a fair share of resources for Sindhi people here on Saturday.
"I don't think the armed forces want a war. They are too busy making money. If there is a war, it won't be confined to Kashmir. Sindh will be in the front lines. So, it's certainly in the interest of Sindhis to work with the other forces in Pakistan favouring an end to Pakistani support for Islamic militant incursions into Kashmir", Harrison noted. Another panelist, Noor Naz Agha, a prominent lawyer in Sindh High Court, who was also a former President of the Hyderabad Division of the National Democratic Party and a democracy activist, spoke about the danger minorities face in Pakistan today. "Minorities are not safe in Pakistan. Recently, several attacks have been made on churches, hospitals, even on human rights organisations. And several people have been killed", Agha said.
Later, talking to ANI, Harrison stated, "I think the Pakistan elections were just window dressing for the continuation of military rule. And I don't think that the civilian government will be stable or be able to control the situation because Musharraf has kept all the reins in his hands. "And the most unfortunate result of the election is that he actually helped the religious parties - coalition of religious parties - come to power and deliberately kept the secular parties divided, a situation in which it was not possible for the secular parties to form a strong government on their own. So, this bargaining is not likely to have too much importance in the short run. Musharraf is running the show", observed Harrison, who was a journalist in the region for many years before turning to academia.
To a question about allegations that North Korea provided nuclear technology to Pakistan, Harrison said, "I think that there's no question that Pakistan did pay for its missiles that it got from North Korea with uranium enrichment technology. Now, we don't really know how far advanced North Korea's effort to enrich uranium has gone.
But the Musharraf government, like its civilian predecessors, did carry on this transfer of uranium enrichment technology which is very clear from what I have heard about the intelligence available". The participants also discussed the all-important water issue in Sindh. Some delegates to the Sindhi conference will spend the first two days of next week meeting American media representatives and US government officials, trying to get the word out to their American hosts that Sindh "is a cause worth fighting for".
Bureau Report