Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's gamble to back US military strikes against Afghanistan could help shed the diplomatic stigma he has carried since seizing power in a military coup two years ago, analysts say.
Pilloried by many in the West for toppling a democratically-elected government, Musharraf is now being hailed for his courage in siding with the United States against Pakistan's Taliban allies in Afghanistan.
While the US threat that "you're either with us or against us" may have left the 58-year-old general little choice in the matter, his decision to defy domestic opposition from Islamic radicals has won him considerable kudos overseas.
US President George W. Bush praised Musharraf for taking a "bold decision" and the back-slapping has since moved beyond mere rhetoric.
On Saturday, Bush waived military and economic sanctions imposed on Pakistan and India following their tit-for-tat nuclear tests in 1998.
An agreement rescheduling $600 million in US debt with Pakistan through the Paris Club of international creditors is expected to be signed in Islamabad on Monday.
There are also signs that the International Monetary Fund is looking favorably at Pakistan's request for a 2.5-billion-dollar loan, as Islamabad braces for the economic fallout of possible US action against Afghanistan.
In another development, Australia announced Friday the resumption of military ties with Pakistan, in order to shore up Islamabad's position against perceived Islamic fundamentalist support for Osama bin Laden -- the chief suspect in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
"Our decision to lift the measures is one way of demonstrating Australia's support for Pakistan's stand against terrorism at this critical time," Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Defense Minister Peter Reith said in a joint statement.
A western diplomat in Islamabad said an international effort was "clearly underway" to support the Pakistan economy.
"What we are seeing in the current crisis is Pakistan returning to its position as a full member of the international community."
Political analyst Nasim Zehra said the support for Pakistan would inevitably lend extra legitimacy to Musharraf's military regime.
"The attitude of the Western countries has been by and large positive and as Pakistan is now a frontline state in the fight against terrorism, they must look at Musharraf as a strong statesman," Zehra said.
Criticism of Musharraf's military rule has been further deflected by the decision of Pakistan's two biggest political parties to back the president's call for national unity in the current situation.
Despite concerns that a conflict could consolidate the military's grip on power, both the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) have indicated they would not support protests by Islamic parties opposed to Islamabad's support for US military strikes.
The PML is the party of Nawaz Sharif, the elected prime minister ousted by Musharraf in the October 1999 coup.
Democratic parties in Pakistan are acutely aware that Pakistan's previous military dictator General Zia ul-Haq used the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan as a pretext for extending his rule indefinitely -- he was still in power when he died in a 1988 plane crash.
"Zia also used the Afghan card to prolong his rule," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. "The Americans will not be pushing for democracy as long as their international agenda is fulfilled by Musharraf," he added.
A day of mass protests called by Islamic parties on Friday failed to draw the crowds they had hoped for and eased fears of a serious challenge to Musharraf, at least for now.
But observers say Musharraf's ability to keep the country behind him will be more severely tested once the expected US strikes on Afghanistan begin and the extent of Pakistani cooperation becomes clearer -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
