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country has to be regarded as one of the

Pakistan, in February 1999 and again in

strategic and economic losers in the interna-

Agra, India, last year.

tional system that has evolved since

The response from Musharraf's military-

September 11.

mosque nexus in Pakistan has been hostile

Yet the Bush administration and its

and violent. After the Lahore summit, the

Western allies have continued to portray

Pakistanis provided support to the insurgents

Islamabad as a "friend" and a "partner" of the

that crossed the line of control in Kashmir

United States, have hailed Musharraf as a

and attacked the Kargil region inside Indian-

"courageous" leader and a "reformist," and

controlled territory. And last October

have provided Islamabad with economic and

Pakistani-backed insurgents attacked the

military assistance on the basis of the promises

Jammu and Kashmir state legislature, an

by Pakistan to back the American anti-terror-

attack that was followed by several more ter-

ism efforts and to take the road toward politi-

rorist incidents in Indian-held Kashmir as

cal reform. "In the 1980s, Pakistan got a blank

well as inside India itself. Moreover,

check from the U.S. to combat the Russians,

Musharraf's insistence on placing Kashmir at

and spent much of the check in building up

the center of the negotiations between New

the Taliban," argues journalist Christopher

Delhi and Islamabad led to the collapse of the

Hitchens. "Now it is getting another check and

Agra talks last summer. Hence, while both

brand-new interest-free mortgage in order to

sides have legitimate interests in Kashmir, it is

pretend that the Taliban is its enemy. It doesn't

Pakistan's military-mosque nexus, in cooper-

get any better than this."60

ation with radical Islamic groups trained by

As noted, American policymakers, by

the Taliban and al-Qaeda, that has been try-

assigning the role of strategic ally to Pakistan

ing to destabilize the status quo and prevent a

during the Cold War (and especially during

resolution based on direct negotiations

the anti-Soviet insurgency in Afghanistan),

between India and Pakistan.

provided incentives to Pakistan through mil-

Musharraf, who in a major address to the

itary assistance and economic subsidies to

nation stressed that "Kashmir runs in our

abuse its position as a client state of the

blood," is interested in internationalizing the

United States and to adopt policies that ran

dispute and getting the United States and

contrary to core U.S. national interests. With

other countries, including other Muslim

the collapse of the Taliban regime and its ter-

states and China, involved in the negotia-

tions over Kashmir.61 Indeed, internationaliz-

rorist allies, the conflicting national interests

of Washington and Islamabad should

ing the Kashmir conflict is supposed to serve

Internationalizing

become more obvious.

as an "equalizer" for Pakistan, helping to

Although a full-blown war between India

counter India's enormous diplomatic power.

the Kashmir con-

and Pakistan may have been avoided (at least

Pakistani leaders and intellectuals, even

flict is supposed

for the moment), Kashmir remains a flash-

moderate ones, regard the future of Kashmir

point. Pakistan argues that Kashmir, with its

as a core national interest of Pakistan. "For

to serve as an

Muslim majority, should become part of

Pakistan, the belief that the province should

"equalizer" for

Muslim Pakistan, while India stresses that a

have been part of Pakistan at the time of par-

Pakistan, helping

Muslim Kashmir can and should remain

tition is as forcefully felt as the Palestinian

part of a secular and multiethnic India.

belief in its rightful ownership of Jerusalem,"

to counter India's

Although both countries have supported a

explained analyst David Rieff. "From the

enormous diplo-

negotiated solution to the conflict, the

Pakistani perspective, the Kashmiri fighters

Indian government under Prime Minister

are not terrorists, they are freedom fighters

matic power.

Atal Behari Vajpayee, resisting opposition

(echoes, again, of the Arab-Israeli conflict)

whose cause is sacrosanct."62

from the more nationalist forces in his coun-

try and party, initiated efforts to engage

Although that is the way many Pakistanis

Pakistan, first, during talks in Lahore,

relate to Kashmir, Pakistan's political, intel-

17