US seeks new bases in Pakistan, India
By Zia Iqbal Shahid
Tuesday December 09, 2003
The News International
BRUSSELS: As part of its ‘ambitious plan’ of relocating US troops,
posted around the globe, to the regions closer to ‘areas of instability
and trouble spots’, the US administration intends to negotiate new
military bases in Pakistan, India and several other countries across
the globe, a source closely linked to the Nato defence ministers’
deliberations in Brussels told The News.
In their pursuit to enhance the capacity of the US troops to react more
rapidly to trouble spots around the world, especially in the Middle
East and South Asia, the US defence authorities have indicated the need
for new military bases. In their consultations on the sidelines of the
Nato defence ministers’ and foreign ministers’ meetings in Brussels,
the US military leaders are reported to have revealed their intentions
to negotiate new military bases in countries like Pakistan, India,
Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, the defence source said.
The Pentagon has finalised a comprehensive strategy aimed at seeking
new military bases, in the regions closer to “areas of instability”,
based on its plan to reshuffle tens of thousands of American troops
posted around the globe. The Pentagon’s relocation plan, according to
the source, is guided by the finding of the US military experts that
“dangers associated with rogue nations, global terrorism, and weapons
of mass destruction are less predictable and the situation warrants a
substantial reshuffle of tens of thousands of American troops posted
around the globe”.
Citing a report of United States Department of Defence, the military
source in Brussels claimed United States Air Force (USAF) feels that in
the changed world security milieu, it will be in the best interest of
the US to establish air bases in Pakistan, India and some Central Asian
states, besides availing of the possibility of having new bases in
Central and Eastern European countries.
American generals want “access closer to areas of instability”. This
strategic need of the US forces would be discussed with Pakistani and
Indian leaders soon, according to the source. American military
officials plan to shortly tell Pakistani and Indian leaders that they
want access to Pakistani and Indian bases and military infrastructures.
The American generals, according to the report, feel that having
military bases in India and Pakistan is important because of their
strategic location.
Linkage with Afghanistan and access to frequently travelled Sea Lanes
of Communication (SLOC) linking the Middle East and East Asia, makes
Pakistan and India attractive for American generals preparing for the
so-called “relocation plan”, the report argues. But, according to the
source, the Indian government has expressed its trepidation for talks
on such an issue even before Washington’s plan to initiate structured
dialogue was put to action.
The Pakistani government, however, had developed a perception that
presence of American forces on four bases of Pakistan until last year
could not reduce security threat posed by India; hence any decision to
cooperate with the US would depend on the prevailing threat perception.
After series of very meaningful contacts with New Delhi and Kabul
telling that no threat should be posed to Pakistan’s border security
and noting that ceasefire between India and Pakistan is in place,
Washington is all set to negotiate with Pakistan the issue of getting
new basis.
A high-level US team will visit Pakistan shortly to discus the issue of
military bases. Such delegations will also undertake visits to several
other Asian and European capitals after President Bush is briefed on
Rumsfeld’s discussions on the matter with his defence counterparts in
the last week’s Nato meeting and Secretary of State Colin Powell’s
consultations with Nato foreign ministers in Brussels, the source said.
Presently, the main US military postings are in Germany, South Korea
and Japan. The Pentagon has already told countries like Japan, South
Korea and Germany on the possibility of moving some United States
forces long based in those countries, the source said. “These troops
will be transformed into highly-mobile forces before their
repositioning around a larger number of new bases,” the source said.
The initiative to establish a network of military bases in Asian
countries has been described by the US Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld as a “readjustment to fit the 21st century”. Under this
readjustment plan, the movement of around 100,000 US troops in the
Western Pacific, South Korea and Japan is under active consideration of
the US defence authorities, the source said.
Nato member states are aware that the US acknowledges the key role
played by four Pakistani air bases during the war in Afghanistan.
Despite some operational activities having been shifted to the US built
airbase outside Afghan city of Kandahar, Pakistan still continues
providing support in the US-led war against terrorism. Newly obtained
bases in the Central Asian nations of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are
also being considered as important elements in the planning of the most
substantial international readjustment of the US troops since the end
of World War II.
Pakistan is regarded by Nato allies as a country always willing to play
a role in the war against terrorism. However, at one stage in 2002 when
Pakistan faced a fresh spate of confrontation from India, Pakistan had
to send a signal to Washington that in view of the fresh escalation the
bases in Jacobabad and Pasni would be needed to put Pakistan Air Force
in the high state of preparedness.
Even in the circumstances when the threat perception was indicated as
very high, Pakistan had allowed the US to continue using the two other
air bases- Dalbandin airfield, 170 miles southwest of Quetta and the
smaller Shamsi airstrip. Dalbandin had been under the use of US special
operations helicopters flying to Afghanistan as forward refuelling base
whereas Shamsi airstrip was reportedly used for some highly specialised
operations, the source indicated.
Comment:
America knows that the communist ideology is dead and buried, and the only threat to it will come from the Islamic ideology which is showing strong resurgence in the former soviet republics like Uzbekistan, tajikistan and of course the muslims of Pakistan want to live according to the Quran and the Sunnah and not the way of the west and the pakistani leaders past and present who followed and practiced the western culture.
