Will US Aid Still Flow?

Former Pakistan military dictator Pervez Musharraf has at long last admitted what we have been harping on since past few years: that the military aid provided by the US to Pakistan for the so-called war on terror during his tenure was diverted to strengthen defences against India in a clear violation of rules. In an interview with a news channel, Musharraf has justified his actions by saying he had acted ‘‘in the best interest of Pakistan’’ — as he was not ready to compromise on Pakistan’s interests. The former dictator also said that if he had not supported the US in the war against terror after the 9/11 attacks, American forces could have entered Pakistan to capture its nuclear assets, and that it was possible that the US and India could have jointly attacked his country. It is clear that the defeated and much-tarnished Musharraf now wants to prove to the Pakistanis and the world at large that he is a hero who saved Pakistan and its strategic assets from US and Indian hands, and that concern for his country was the only thing uppermost in his mind. But on his desperate image-rebuilding mode and in sheer craze for publicity after the ignominy of his disastrous tenure, Musharraf has also proved how treacherous the Pakistan Army and its ISI can be. Now this, the US cannot be unaware of — several influential US lawmakers have been repeatedly saying that Pakistan has misused US anti-terror funds to enhance its military capabilities against India. So will President Barack Obama continue to provide military succour to Pakistan where it is still the Army and its ISI that call the shots and after what Musharraf has admitted so openly? THE SENTINEL