Pakistan under global pressure

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 9. Under response to pressure from all over the world, the Pakistan Interior Minister, Lt. Gen. (retd) Moinuddin Haider, is leading a high-level delegation to Kandahar, spiritual headquarters of the Taliban, to plead with the Taliban leadership that it spare the historic pre-Islamic artefacts.

The decision came even as the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), quoting sources in the Taliban Government, circulated a report to the effect that the militia used a large amount of explosives on Thursday to destroy the top part of one of the two giant statues. It is not clear which of the two statues was targeted.

The Taliban has refused to heed the advice of virtually the whole world, including the U.N. Secretary-General, to stop the destruction of the Buddha statues in Bamiyan.

The adamancy of the regime has put Pakistan in an embarrassing situation. In the last few days, it has been under immense pressure from the international community to take up the matter with the Taliban as it was perceived to be a friend, philosopher and guide of the militia in Afghanistan. As one of the three countries in the world that recognised Taliban, and the only country with a full-fledged embassy in Kabul, the expectations are very high.

Islamabad-based envoys of several countries have conveyed to Pakistan their concern over developments in Afghanistan. The pressure was so much that the Musharraf Government deemed it necessary to call the Taliban Ambassador in Islamabad to the Foreign Office and appraise him of the sentiments of the world community.

The nature of pressure could be gauged from the fact that the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr. Laxman Kadirigamar, has airdashed from Colombo to impress upon Islamabad to immediately take up the matter with the Taliban. A section of the Pakistan press had reported that the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr. R. Wickremanayake, would be deputed for the job after the Sri Lanka Parliament deliberated on the subject.

Pakistan cannot wish away the Taliban factor and this is evident from the growing number of appeals directed at it. A report from Tokyo said the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Yohei Kono, would be sending a letter to the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, to `step up pressure' on Taliban to end the destruction of the statues. Pakistan should at least be seen as acting on the appeal as Mr. Sattar is slated to visit Japan on a four-day official visit beginning on March 14.

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