Ready to act tough with Pakistan: UK
Gordon Brown has made it clear that the West is more than willing to be tough with Pakistan president Musharraf to ensure that elections happen soon. British prime minister speaks to TIMES NOW.
By TNN |
Gordon Brown has made it clear that the West is more than willing to be tough with Pakistan president Musharraf to ensure that elections happen soon, and that he has made that clear to Musharraf in recent conversation with him.
“The real test,” Mr Brown said “is going to be whether the elections are seen by the international community as free and fair, and let us hope that happens and let us hope that the monitoring process yields a result in which the international community has confidence. So the future of Pakistan in the eyes of the world depends on how they can manage free and fair elections. And that is why I have made it clear to Mr Musharraf in the conversations that we have had.”
The British PM, however, seemed to almost give a clean chit to Pakistan on the issue of nuclear proliferation. Mr Brown had recently expressed concern at nuclear weapons falling in the hands of “non-state actors” and many had assumed that his reference was to terrorist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“I didn’t mention Pakistan,” Mr Brown said. “I mentioned Iran because we have been worried as an international community that Iran is defying the non proliferation treaty. This is clearly an important part of safeguarding our future. Proliferation has clearly happened and Iran has no noticeable civil nuclear programme and is engaged in trying to get nuclear elements so that at some stage they can have military nuclear power,” he added.
Mr Brown’s assertion that his comment on nukes falling into the wrong hands was not in the context of Pakistan will be a big disappointment for mandarins at the ministry of external affairs, who have been constantly pushing the line that nuclear weapons in Pakistan are being proliferated to unstable elements and possibly even terrorist groups.
But at the same time, Brown in this interview to TIMES NOW did not hesitate to be tougher than ever before in his stance vis-a-vis Islamabad. When asked whether the West had given too long a diplomatic rope to the Pakistan president, because of fear of what would happen if he was removed, Brown reminded the interviewer about the strong action London took to suspend Pakistan from the commonwealth.
Interestingly, when asked if the West had “too long a liaison” with Musharraf, Brown skirted the question, talking instead of how the West needed to work together with Pakistan to combat terror. In the past, US president George Bush has repeatedly commended the role played by Musharraf individually in the fight against terror.
“The real test,” Mr Brown said “is going to be whether the elections are seen by the international community as free and fair, and let us hope that happens and let us hope that the monitoring process yields a result in which the international community has confidence. So the future of Pakistan in the eyes of the world depends on how they can manage free and fair elections. And that is why I have made it clear to Mr Musharraf in the conversations that we have had.”
The British PM, however, seemed to almost give a clean chit to Pakistan on the issue of nuclear proliferation. Mr Brown had recently expressed concern at nuclear weapons falling in the hands of “non-state actors” and many had assumed that his reference was to terrorist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“I didn’t mention Pakistan,” Mr Brown said. “I mentioned Iran because we have been worried as an international community that Iran is defying the non proliferation treaty. This is clearly an important part of safeguarding our future. Proliferation has clearly happened and Iran has no noticeable civil nuclear programme and is engaged in trying to get nuclear elements so that at some stage they can have military nuclear power,” he added.
Mr Brown’s assertion that his comment on nukes falling into the wrong hands was not in the context of Pakistan will be a big disappointment for mandarins at the ministry of external affairs, who have been constantly pushing the line that nuclear weapons in Pakistan are being proliferated to unstable elements and possibly even terrorist groups.
But at the same time, Brown in this interview to TIMES NOW did not hesitate to be tougher than ever before in his stance vis-a-vis Islamabad. When asked whether the West had given too long a diplomatic rope to the Pakistan president, because of fear of what would happen if he was removed, Brown reminded the interviewer about the strong action London took to suspend Pakistan from the commonwealth.
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Almost hinting that not enough credit was given for Britain’s role in putting the pressure on Musharraf, Brown said: “After all, the Commonwealth led by Britain took action to suspend the membership of the Commonwealth for Pakistan and said that it was unacceptable when a state of emergency was declared and political prisoners were taken and when the judiciary was in trouble. All these were made clear to the Pakistani authorities as we have made clear that free and fair elections are a necessary element of the way forward.” Interestingly, when asked if the West had “too long a liaison” with Musharraf, Brown skirted the question, talking instead of how the West needed to work together with Pakistan to combat terror. In the past, US president George Bush has repeatedly commended the role played by Musharraf individually in the fight against terror.
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