The paper analyzed the aftermath of the September 11
events of terrorist attacks against the US. These resulted in a
massive punitive military strike by the US-led coalition against
international terrorism resulting in the collapse of the Taliban
regime and the establishment of an interim government
headed by Hamid Karzai, under the auspices of the UN.
The speaker said that as a consequence of the US military
strikes against the Taliban regime, Pakistan was forced to
make a rapid realignment in its foreign policy. Henceforth,
it joined the US-led anti- terrorist international coalition and
agreed to collaborate with the US-led coalition in ousting
the Taliban regime. As a result of such decision, Pervez
Musharraf’s government made significant gains in the form of
financial aid, debt exemption, rapprochement with the United
States, and the easing of its international isolation.
However, the short-term gains seem to be getting diluted
after a lapse of a few months and some long-term problems
casted their shadows. Among them are the deteriorating
economy, the five–month-old India–Pakistan military
standoff, the strengthening of the Indo–Israel nexus, the
setback to the Kashmir cause and democracy in Pakistan and
the recrudescence of terrorism because of remnant Taliban/
Al-Qaeda/fundamentalist religious groups from Pakistan are
serious concerns.
The speaker noted that Pervez Musharraf’s government
took daring steps since September 11 and have enacted
reforms in Pakistani society, particularly in relation to some
Islamist and terrorist groups. Further, it took some initiatives
to reinvigorate the economy and reform the school education
system. However, the speaker said that it is still too early to
assess the returns on these procedures.