Washington, Jan 12
The United States has for the first time identified Pakistan as the
hub of a worldwide web of Al Qaeda connections while asserting that
India, which has been a major target for jehadis due to the
insurgency in Kashmir, would remain a reliable ally against global
terrorism.
Describing Al Qaeda as a terrorist organization that poses the
greatest threat to American interests, US intelligence chief John
Negroponte told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Thursday
that its leaders are holed up in a secure hideout in Pakistan, from
which they are revitalizing their bruised but resilient network.
Pakistan has apparently been singled out for the first time in a
Congressional testimony as the centre of the network accused of the
Sep 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly
3,000 people.
"They are cultivating stronger operational connections and
relationships that radiate outward from their leaders' secure
hideout in Pakistan to affiliates throughout the Middle East, North
Africa and Europe," he said in his annual assessment of worldwide
threats against the US and its interests.
In contrast, India's role in South Asia came in for fulsome praise
from Negroponte, who became director of national intelligence in
April 2005 and will soon leave to become deputy secretary of state.
"We expect that India's growing confidence on the world stage as a
result of its sustained high rates of economic growth will make New
Delhi a more effective partner for the US but also a more formidable
interlocutor in areas of disagreement, particularly in the World
Trade Organisation (WTO)," he said.
"New Delhi seeks to play a role in fostering democracy in the
region, especially in Nepal and Bangladesh, and will continue to be
a reliable ally against global terrorism, given the fact that India
is a major target for jehadists (people who fight in defence of
Islam) in part because of the insurgency in Kashmir," Negroponte
added.
Noting that the three-year peace process between India and Pakistan
has lessened tensions in the region and both sides appear committed
to improving the bilateral relationship, he said: "New Delhi's
threshold for responding militarily to terrorist attacks has
apparently increased since the two countries last approached the
brink of war in 2002.
"Nonetheless, New Delhi's concerns about Pakistan's tolerance, at a
minimum, of terrorist attacks on Indian soil remains a dominant
theme in relations, and risk derailing rapprochement."
An attack on a high-profile target might lead New Delhi to take
action to curtail militant capabilities in Pakistan or
Pakistan-administered Kashmir and punish Islamabad for its continued
support to Pakistan-based militants, he said adding, "We remain
concerned about the potential that such a conflict could escalate."
The Mumbai train bombings last year disrupted but ultimately did not
derail the composite dialogue and a mechanism for exchanging
information on terrorist attacks has been established, Negroponte
noted.
"Yet, the prospect of renewed tensions between the two remains
despite these improved relations, and we are mindful that Pakistan
was a major source of nuclear proliferation until our efforts
disrupted A.Q. Khan's network," he said.
Although both New Delhi and Islamabad are fielding a more mature
strategic nuclear capability, they do not appear to be engaged in a
Cold War-style arms race based on a quest for numerical superiority,
he said.
For its part, Pakistan is a frontline partner in the war on terror.
Nevertheless, it remains a major source of Islamic extremism and the
home for some top terrorist leaders, Negroponte said.
Meanwhile, democracy has not been fully restored since the army took
over power in 1999. With elections expected later this year, Pervez
Musharraf continues to be criticized for remaining both the
president and chief of army staff, but there are no political
leaders inside the country able to challenge his continued
leadership, he said.
Musharraf's secular opponents are in disarray, and the main Islamic
parties continue to suffer from internal divisions and an inability
to expand their support base, said Negroponte.
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