US congress calls for shift in US policy towards Pakistan

The US Congress on Wednesday passed its first 2008 legislation by condemning the murder of Pakistan's ex-premier Benazir Bhutto amid a call for a shift in US policy towards Islamabad.
"What is clear is that before Pakistan devolves any further in chaos and violence, US policy has to change," Democratic lawmaker Gary Ackerman said after his resolution, which "condemns in the strongest terms" Benazir Bhutto's assassination," was approved by a vote of 413 to 0 in the house of Representatives.
It was the first piece of legislation to be taken up and passed by Congress this year.
Ackerman said that the reliance by President George W Bush's administration on "war on terror" ally Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to restore democracy while fighting against extremism had not worked.
"There has been neither success against terrorism nor a return to democracy," he said, as he chaired a separate House hearing on US-Pakistan relations.
The United States, he said, needs a new approach to Pakistan that puts as much emphasis on building stable, free and moderate institutions as it has on fighting terrorists.
Ackerman, a senior member of the influential House committee on foreign affairs, cited a recent survey by the United States Institute for Peace and World Public Opinion, which showed that Pakistanis overwhelmingly view having elected leadership as important.
"The Bush Administration needs to build on the Pakistani view of the importance of democracy and needs to start by insisting that the elections on February 18 are free and fair," Ackerman said.
He also called for "a fundamental reappraisal" of US assistance to Pakistan, saying Washington has for too long provided the country's military with the bulk of its aid and "neglected" those aimed at building and strengthening democratic institutions.
The House resolution reaffirmed the US commitment to help Pakistan battle terrorism and promote democracy and backed efforts to "expeditiously bring to justice" those behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination at an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27.
The resolution also expressed support for the freedom of the media, the ability of political parties to express their views without restriction, and the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan.
South Asian security expert Ashley Tellis cautioned at the House hearing that any post-election violence with significant fatalities as a result of military action could force Musharraf's exit.
"The potential for civil unrest and instability emerging from a flawed election in Pakistan, therefore, ought to remain the most problematic contingency from the viewpoint of the Bush administration," said Tellis from the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.