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| First words with Biden |
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
The visit by Joe Biden, the US vice president-elect, has been watched closely by many in the country and also others from the outside. The question of how the Barack Obama administration, due now to take over within days, will handle the issue of Pakistan is uppermost in minds. Biden, as an experienced politician with a special interest in Pakistan, is naturally expected to be a pivotal player in policy making – particularly in the early days as Obama gets to grip with the range of issues on both the domestic and foreign front that await his attention. The signals vis-ŕ-vis Pakistan from the Obama camp have so far been mixed. In his electoral campaign, the president-elect took a tough line and, even today, the possibility of US attacks on targets in Afghanistan lurks. Indeed, this matter was taken up for discussion in Islamabad Friday between Biden and the ISI chief. It is not clear what answers, if any, were given to queries raised by the Pakistani official. On the other hand, Senator Biden has played a key role in pushing the Biden-Kerry-Lugar legislation under which Pakistan will receive US $1.5 billion socio-economic assistance over the next five years and possibly an additional $7.5 billion over the next half decade. The bill falls in line with the argument by Biden and key allies that one weapon to be used against terrorists is development and that there can be little hope of scoring a victory against militancy unless the welfare of people is also promoted.
The hope of Pakistani leaders that this prong of proposed US strategy works out was reflected in the award of the Hilal-e-Pakistan to Biden. He becomes the second US official within the last few weeks to be meted out a top civil honour. But the fact is that placing shiny medals around the necks of US officials will, on its own, do little to win their trust and confidence. One must hope that those holding key positions in Islamabad realize this. Eventually, Pakistan will need to show that, it is serious in its intentions as far as the war on terror goes, it has a definite plan of action in mind to achieve victory, it is aware that this is in its own interest and does not need to be constantly prodded by Washington to be reminded of its commitments. Only when this happens will it become possible for Islamabad to insist that the US not intervene in its internal affairs. The extent of its readiness to intervene has, most lately, been indicated by the demand expressed by the US ambassador to the country, that the sacked adviser to the prime minister on national security be reinstated.
Biden’s one-day visit, which he described as an attempt to ‘get some sort of baseline’ has gone well. The former senator has a good understanding of Pakistan, and this, no doubt would have come in handy during his detailed talks with the president, the prime minister, the COAS and the ISI chief. These men then are the figures that the US sees as key to its future relations with Pakistan. Biden has also promised continuing US commitment to the country. But beyond the comforting words, it is clear that tough times lie ahead. The task for Pakistan’s top leadership will be to establish a good rapport with the new White House team and ensure that they are able to work with it to extract maximum benefit for Pakistan and its people.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
