Obama’s stay at Taj makes Pakistan jittery

The Pakistani government is reportedly in two minds on US president Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to India, especially the symbolism hidden in his decision to stay at Mumbai’s Taj hotel, which was the focal point of the November 2008 terrorist attack on the metropolis.

New Delhi has all along blamed Islamabad for the attack. Pakistan’s leading English daily Dawn reported on Sunday Islamabad would meticulously examine a statement on the war on terror Obama was likely to make from the hotel.

There was palpable anxiety in Pakistan to see how the American president manages ties with India without impacting long-term partnership with Pakistan, it said.

Quoting senior officials in the government, the newspaper said Islamabad had been reassured by Americans that, like the British prime minister’s allegation of terror export from Pakistan during his visit to India, there would be no brazen anti-Pakistan remarks by Obama.

Nonetheless, they are worried that he will try to build pressure on Pakistan to act against Lashkar-e-Taiba and its reincarnations and speed up trial of Mumbai attack suspects.

However, the likely Obama statement is not Pakistan’s only concern. What the US president says or doesn’t say on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) during his three-day stay in India from November 6, his stand on New Delhi’s long-standing desire for permanent membership of the UN security council and Indo-US military cooperation would decide the future of Islamabad-Washington ties.

Foreign office sources said the Pakistani military and political leadership, with a belief that Americans could facilitate talks on J&K, want Obama to speak out against alleged human rights violations in Kashmir. Efforts are also under way through diplomatic channels to convince him to meet Kashmiri leaders.

However, sources said, it is unlikely that either of Islamabad’s wishes would be fulfilled because Obama can ill afford to offend India, particularly at a time when Americans are eyeing $10.5-billion defence contracts from Delhi.

Equally important for Pakistan is the position Obama may take on India’s bid for UNSC membership. Analysts say while the US president wants to go to any extent to please Indians for clinching the defence contracts, he would be the last person to annoy Pakistan and risk losing its crucial support for ending the Afghan war.