Karl F Inderfurth, who was the point-man for South Asia in the Clinton Administration, has said the Bush administration is caught between that proverbial rock and a hard place vis-�-vis dealing with the draconian measures imposed in Pakistan by President Pervez Musharraf [Images] largely due to its own flawed policy.
 
Inderfurth, an erstwhile assistant secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, who is now a professor of international relations at George Washington University, told rediff.com that the Bush Administration had followed a uni-dimensional policy in the past several years focusing on terrorism --not to the exclusion--but overshadowing all other concerns.
 
"Where has President Bush been on this," he asked, and noted that Bush's remarks for Musharraf to hold elections and take off his uniform came too late "after this (the imposition of martial law) has been done. So, I am not sure this has been handled the best way."

Inderfurth acknowledged, "I do not believe that the United States can push Paistan around. We have a history of sanctioning Pakistan and that has not worked. We've had a history of making public threats, it doesn't work."

"But quiet diplomacy and engaging Pakistan can have that effect and I was surprised that in the run-up to the period in which President Musharraf declared martial law or declared emergency rule--which is, the same thing--there was no direct contact between the President of the United States and the President of Pakistan, despite the fact that President Bush has been very outspoken that he's built up a strong and special relationship with him--he's been to Camp David to meet with President Bush (a gesture accorded by Bush only to world leaders with whom he has a close and personal friendship)."
 
Inderfurth argued that while he would not advocate cutting US aid to Pakistan, particularly counter-terrorism assistance because it is in the US national interests. He said, "I also know that the political paralysis that we have seen in Pakistan over the last several weeks is allowing Pakistani extremists and militants to thrive and grow stronger."
 
"So, the fact is that by our not being able to be more persuasive to assist Pakistan move down a democratic path, we are only seeing the militants gain the upper hand," he said.
 
Inderfurth predicted that "it's going to be a very difficult period ahead--a great deal of uncertainly, a great deal of risk", and hence he said it is imperative that the United States "immediately enter into intensive consultations with others in the international community --clearly the British and the European Union, but also India, China and Saudi Arabia. These countries, they all have stakes in seeing Pakistan not descent into political turmoil and crisis".
 
"They all have respectively a vested interest in seeing Pakistan return to more stability and normalcy and the United States should be finding out what the view of the international community is and what we and they can do effectively to alleviate the situation," he added.
 
Inderfurth said the alarm bells over the nuclear weapons of Pakistan getting into the hands of extremists and terrorists were overkill at the present time and he saw no such clear and imminent danger. "That is being too alarmist," he said.

"As much as anyone can know--and we are speaking at a great distance away from those most tightly-guarded secrets of any country, Pakistan or United States--I do not have any reason to believe that Pakistan's nuclear deterrent is at risk of any loss of control," he said.
 
Inderfurth said, "The army is clearly in control of those assets and I do not believe that that is in play at this stage. Once could always have worst-case scenarios, but I think to leap to that at this point is not helpful to addressing the immediate issues of political stability and instability that Pakistan must address."