In February 2002, a mere two years after the President of the USA very
publicly refused to endorse the new military government of Pakistan,
Pakistan’s leader, General Pervez Musharraf, stood up on a platform in
Washington with US Secretary of State for Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
In between the friendly badinage, Rumsfeld looked Musharraf in the
eye and said warmly: ‘Mr. President, we – our country – and indeed
the world – [have] a big stake in your country and your part of the
world, and we wish you well in your important work.’
The dramatic turn of events in the aftermath of 9/11 pushed Pakistan
into a new spotlight. From being an international outcast for its long
standing support of the Taliban and militant cross-border insurgents in
Kashmir, Pakistan became the key strategic partner of America’s war on
terror. The same military leaders who had facilitated jihadist networks
to fight their proxy wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir, and who may
well have turned a blind eye to the illegal sale of nuclear materials, are
now being touted as the US’s regional standard bearers.