Musharraf Bails on Anti-Terror TalksNow that’s how you show you’re committed to fighting terrorism: by pulling out of a tribal council convened to… fight terrorism.
That’s what Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan announced today. Indicating his displeasure with accusations from the U.S. that he’s acquiesced to the entrenchment of al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in his country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Musharraf cited “engagements” preventing him attending a joint Afghan-Pakistan tribal conference aimed at cracking down on jihadists. On Monday, President Bush and Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai expressed high hopes for the joint “jirga,” conceived of by the three leaders in 2006.
So: jirga on preventing terrorism? No go. Deal with FATA leaders that U.S. intelligence believes led to the reconstitution of al-Qaeda in Pakistan? Probably still in place.
Why would anyone think Musharraf is less than 100 percent committed to fighting al-Qaeda?