WASHINGTON, MARCH 20: Pakistan's cranked up diatribe against India in recent days on the alleged sponsorship of terrorism in appears to stem from its own fears of being listed as a patron of terrorism in an annual American watchlist due shortly.Over the last week, even as it has been accusing India of fomenting violence in Pakistan, Islamabad has been lobbying furiously here to avoid the ignominy of being censured in the annual state department report on terrorism.
Sources on Capitol Hill said lobbyists for Pakistan had been contacting Senators and Congressmen to put pressure on the administration not to censure Pakistan in the annual report.
The report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, is released in April each year, and work is currently underway in compiling it. The buzz on the Hill is that Islamabad may again be admonished this year. Last year, the US named Harkat ul-Ansar as one of 30 major terrorist outfits in the world and pointedly mentioned that it was based in Pakistan.
Pakistan has previouslycome perilously close to being named a state sponsor of terrorism, notably during the Bush Administration. In addition, it gets an annual rap on the knuckles each year in a separate report for its inability to combat narcotics trafficking. Only a special presidential waiver in US national interest saves it from losing foreign aid as a consequence.
Hill sources said the administration's dim view of Pakistani terrorism is guided not so much by its alleged subversive activities in India and its inability to combat lawlessness in its own backyard, particularly terrorism directed against Americans. They surmised that the administration may be waving the censure stick to ensure Islamabad cracked down on terrorism.``It's hard to believe the US will crack down on Pakistan, particularly during a year when the President is going to visit both India and Pakistan,'' an Indian official said.
Sources also said Pakistan's volley of allegations against India on the subject of terrorism and the amplified decibel in recentweeks was also aimed at getting the state department to mention the alleged Indian sponsorship of terrorism in the annual report. So far the report has generally mentioned New Delhi's allegations of Pakistani subversion in India.Administration officials said it was possible that this year's report may mention allegations by both sides. ``But that does not imply any confirmation from us about what are essentially accusations,'' a state department official said. ``The global terrorism report is an informational report mandated for the Congress and has no legal implication. It does not formally apply to the state sponsorship of terrorism issue,'' he added.Legislative sources said there were several different terrorism reporting requirements in the United States and the global terrorism report was the least important among them. The key calling was the annual naming of the state sponsors of terrorism, a listing which is independent of the state department's report. This year chargesheet had already been releasedand Pakistan was not listed there.
The Pakistani response in Washington is also a result of the stepped up lobbying by the Kashmiri Pandit community which has successfully brought its plight to the attention of the Clinton administration after years of lying low. Several Congressmen have in recent times written to the administration highlighting the plight of the displaced community and their suffering because of cross-border terrorism.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
