Following the thwarted attempt to blow up ten passenger planes over the Atlantic, Pakistan yet again emerged as the place where the terrorist plot has been conceived. Though Pakistan is an American ally in the ‘war on terror’, some believe that the Pakistani government under General Musharraf isn’t doing nearly enough to clamp down on extremist activities. What’s your view?
Two prominent voices lead the debate, but you should have a say too! To post a comment, go straight to the end of the page...
The Two Sides of Musharraf
Sajjan Gohel
Pakistan has become the new home for Al-Qaeda. In the past there have been elements in Pakistan that have been sympathetic to the extremists, often with ties to the government and the security services. Those ties still exist, which is why Pakistan represents a comfortable sanctuary. A significant number of Britons have been connected to Pakistan, because it is there that they can meet with radicals for further training and ideological guidance. Contrary to Musharraf’s claims, the extremist schools 'the Madrasas' haven’t been clamped down upon at all. The Taliban are still functioning and are able to launch deadly raids in Afghanistan. Furthermore, democracy in Pakistan has been severely diluted, in which the radicals seem to have benefited. Musharraf portrays himself as an ally in the war on terror, but he hasn’t done nearly enough because some of his power depends on these extremist elements.
Sajjan Gohel is Director for International Security at the Asia-Pacific Foundation in London, and has participated in various high-level working groups.   Problem Goes Much Deeper
George Kassimeris
Western officials believe Pakistan is rapidly becoming an international plotting centre for jihadist terrorism. The Pakistani government is a key ally of Britain and the US in what President Bush calls the 'war against Islamic fascists'- This doesn't go down well with the Pakistani population and especially the Imams in madrassas, which are dubbed by many in Western counter-terrorism circles as 'terrorist nurseries'. The Musharraf government takes every opportunity to point out that it has been dealing effectively with the madrassa issue. That said, closing down madrassas involved with Islamist militancy won't eradicate the problem for it goes much deeper. Pakistan is littered with all types of camps and training grounds, and the irony is that many of them were set up in mid to late 1980s in order to train fighters for jihad in Afghanistan.
George Kassimeris is Senior Research Fellow in Conflict and Terrorism at Wolverhampton University, and the editor of the recently published The Barbarisation of Warfare (Hurst, 2006)
