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US told to call Pak a terrorist state

C K Arora in Washington

US foreign policy experts have urged President Bill Clinton to inform Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, during his brief stopover in Islamabad, that the United States will have little option but to designate Pakistan a ''state sponsor of terrorism'' if it continued to support violence and insurgency in Kashmir.

Such a designation entails imposition of economic and other sanctions against the country under the current US law.

''You should voice strong criticism of their provocative posture toward the Kashmir insurgency, making clear that they (Pakistani rulers) and their country would not be better off if Pakistan foments a war with India over Kashmir or anything else,'' they said in an open letter to Clinton, released last night.

They wanted Clinton to ask Pakistani leaders to adopt a more realistic approach to what diplomacy might accomplish vis-a-vis Kashmir in the foreseeable future and drop their insistence that Kashmir constitute the core of any dialogue with India.

The letter maintained that Clinton is correct in visiting Pakistan, ''a country in danger of failing''.

The experts, who constitute an independent task force, warned the president to resist the temptation to place ambitious nuclear weapons-related goals at the centre of US aims vis-a-vis India.

Any attempt to persuade India to eliminate its nuclear arsenal will fail and poison the atmosphere for the constructive discussion of issues, they said.

They urged both India and Pakistan to take steps to reduce the chance of conflict over Kashmir, but advised the United States to get directly involved in diplomacy relating to Kashmir only if all parties so desired.

South Asia is a far more dangerous place than it was one or two years ago and relations between India and Pakistan have sunk to a dangerous level, one that could all too easily lead to conflict, they said.

The task force sets forth four goals for Clinton's trip and for the remainder of the administration: to build an expanded, post-cold war relationship with India, to stem the drift toward war between India and Pakistan, to persuade Pakistan to embrace economic reform, the rule of law, and more responsible behaviour against terrorism and to highlight the potential success of Bangladesh as a moderate, Islamic country.

They said it was essential that the president should communicate directly with the people of Pakistan and not simply meet with General Musharraf to underscore US support for open markets and political freedom.

The independent task force has been co-sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations and chaired by Richard N Haass, vice president and director of foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution.

The signatories included former US ambassadors to both India and Pakistan and experts on both South Asia and non-proliferation policy.

The letter of the independent task force builds on two previous reports -- US policy toward India and Pakistan (1998) and a new US policy toward India and Pakistan (1997).

The signatories to the letter included former US ambassador to India Frank Wisner, former US ambassador to Pakistan Robert Oakley, Stephen P Cohen, senior fellow, foreign policy studies, the Brookings Institution, Francine Frankel, director, Centre for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania and Sumit Ganguly, visiting fellow, Centre for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University, Neil Joeck, political analyst, Directorate for Non-proliferation, Arms Control and International Security.

UNI

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