Critical Triangle continues...

While Musharraf had been feted as an ally in the war on terror, his failure to live up to his promises resulted in a significant build up of pressure on Pakistan to do more. It was at this critical juncture that Musharraf handed over the reins of the army to Ashfaq Pervez Kayani—the first and only head of the ISI ever to become Chief of Army Staff. The 2007 election campaign, which saw the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, saw Yusuf Raza Gilani become the new Prime Minister of Pakistan and Hussain Haqqani the new Ambassador to the US. Effectively by the end of 2007, the US had to start on a new slate with a new set of interlocutors— both military and civilian.

This new disposition had two sides both seen as positive developments by the US. On one hand, General Kayani was believed to be both pro-west and anti-extremist.

How a man who had in effect supervised Pakistan’s jihad proxies as head of the ISI could be either pro- west or anti-extremist was a logical trap no one seemed to want to resolve.

Similarly, it is claimed that Asif Ali Zardari, who was the de-facto and de-jure power within the Pakistan Peoples’ Party since his wife’s assassination was also keen to de-securitise Pakistan’s India-centric policies and eliminate terrorism and fundamentalists within Pakistan.

To be continued...