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| Friday, 5 November 2004 |
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Bush victory is a win for Pakistan's leader ISLAMABAD, Thursday (AFP) George W. Bush's resounding victory in US polls is a relief for his close ally Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who may be pressed to get tougher with Islamic militants but will not be forced to toe a more democratic line, analysts said Thursday. "I would think that in his heart of hearts Musharraf was definitely hoping Bush would win," military analyst and retired general Talat Masood told AFP. "There may be a huge sigh of relief in Islamabad over Bush's re-election," concurred Riffat Hussein, professor of security studies at Islamabad's Quaid-e-Azam University. Bush and Musharraf, the general who came to power through a bloodless coup in 1999 and has refused to cede it, had an "excellent personal chemistry," Hussein noted. The two were thrust into a tight alliance after the September 11, 2001 attacks precipitated a foreign policy backflip by Musharraf. He abandoned Afghanistan's Taliban rulers within days and gave Pakistani air bases, corridors and intelligence to US forces to help overthrow the hardline regime. Musharraf's army has since handed over more than 500 Al-Qaeda suspects to the US including prized trophies Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Ramzi bin al Shaibh and Abu Zubayda. Washington has rewarded Islamabad with debt cuts, massive aid boosts and trade privileges. The appreciation has gone beyond the economy to tolerance of Musharraf's unelected sweeping powers - something on which the Democrats were expected to take a tougher stance. "In view of the larger overriding strategic interests in Pakistan's role in the war on terrorism and its pivotal role in helping the US stabilise Afghanistan, issues of democracy have been given short shrift under the Bush administration," Hussein said. |
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