Pakistani Leader Seeks ‘Gestures’ for Backing U.S.. In the face of a general strike over Pakistani support for the US (oops! “coalition”) war effort, (which he deflected neatly by declaring yesterday a Pakistani national holiday to explain widespread business closings — which, to be fair, may have been in fear of rather than support of fundamentalist rioters), Musharraf wants us to resume fighter sales withheld after Pakistan developed nuclear weapons. Pakistan has felt, he articulated, that until the recent “war on terrorism”, the US had cold-shouldered Pakistan after the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from its invasion of Afghanistan had diminished Pakistan’s usefulness to the US as a strategic partner. Other gestures “should include

major debt relief, military assistance, and more understanding for the

sensitivity of the Pakistani public on the issue of its nuclear weapons.”

With the Northern Alliance’s reported capture of Mazar-i-Sharif, the US may be able to set up forward bases there with a lifeline to Uzbekistan to the north, and may again need to rely less on Pakistan for support of the war effort. NY Times [“FMHreader”, “FMHreader”]