Pakistan: two questions of great concern

                 History is the best teacher, for it teaches by examples and warnings. A thought-provoking article "Pakistan mirrors Iraq" published in the NYT (February 8) forces one to re-visit history.
                The analogy drawn by David E. Sanger in the aforementioned article is stunning. He has equated Pakistan with Iraq and has termed the Bush administration's approach as "poles opposite" in dealing with similar cases.
                 It was the Iranian revolution that soured US-Iran relations, and the US and Britain decided to encourage Saddam. The purpose was to kill two birds with one stone (destruction of Iran and portraying Saddam as a man of evil who not only killed Iranians but his own people by using chemical and biological weapons). Saddam was also given visions of being the leader of "Greater Arabia". The story reached its climax when Iraq was destroyed twice - completely last year.
                  Is a conspiracy brewing against Pakistan? Is the campaign by US opinion-makers against Pakistan's nuclear deterrence a war cry? Are the friendly overtures of the US administration enmity in disguise? Was the confession by Dr A. Q. Khan evidence to be used later? Secretary of State Colin Powell has already said: "The US needs a full understanding of what the A. Q. Khan network has done."
                    The US policy regarding nuclear weapons is quite clear: it doesn't want anybody else to acquire them, especially the Muslims, for obvious reasons. During the Cold War era the US used the policy of "carrot and stick " in the form of aid and sanctions to prevent states from going nuclear. The policy worked as far as South Africa and Brazil were concerned but failed to achieve results in case of Pakistan.
                     It is a general feeling among Pakistanis that the current campaign against Pakistan will culminate in sanctions if not in an attack on Pakistan's nuclear assets.
                      The US is friendly towards Pakistan because it needs its support in its pursuit of Al Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban. The feeling is that Pakistan will have to face the music when its help is no more required.

           The following are two questions of great concern for Pakistan at this juncture: what will be the approach of the new American administration vis-a-vis Pakistan if Bush suffers a defeat in November? What will be the policy of the US when the war in Afghanistan is over?