(Wall Street Journal) Alyssa Ayres - The Pakistani military has adopted Islamic ideology to fashion itself as the guardian of the nation and its core beliefs. In doing so it has repeatedly co-opted Islamist organizations - notably the Jamaat-e-Islami - for cover and support. The military has also followed a policy of divide and rule, patronizing existing Islamist groups while seeding new ones that might rival them. A 1990 report by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agency on the future of U.S.-Pakistan relations concluded: "It was important to maintain the impression of widespread anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistani society, which could be assured by periodic demonstrations by Islamists. This would create sympathy for Pakistani military and intelligence officials among their U.S. counterparts."
2005-07-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive