The Obama administration has finally heard what it was dying to hear from President Zardari. He has pledged to move army brigades from the country’s border with India for the offensive against the Taliban in the northwestern part of the country.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Pakistani officials have told the US that Islamabad is sending "an additional six army brigades to join a major offensive against Taliban forces" and it has pledged to "hold territory where extremist forces are dislodged." Officials told the paper that the troop movement would come from the Punjab province and the country's border with India. During the visit, Zardari said that domestic support for the offensive, combined with US assistance, would allow the effort to succeed.
The Pentagon is speeding spare parts, ammunition and other equipment for Pakistan's fleet of ageing Cobra attack helicopters. The Pakistan army said it had killed as many as 55 Taliban fighters on Saturday. Zardari said during this tour that he is looking forward to working with New Delhi once the new government is formed. He also said that Pakistan had already moved some troops recently because "the action asked for it" and "if need be, we will move more." "The Indian border is sometimes hot and sometimes cold. That's another story. But democracies are always trying to get friendly to each other… So we never talk war.
"There is an active threat on the Afghan border from our side, from their side, from within the mountains, and that's where we're engaged today. Today's war for the perceivable future for the world and for us is that area," he added.
Of course, New Delhi will cautiously await the follow-through on promises made by Pakistan to the US. The military's recent strikes against the Taliban, though welcome, don't necessarily signal a Pakistan policy shift. The Islamic radicals are still seen as strategic assets in some barracks.
