T
he other issue on which there is not yet muchconvergence between Zardari and Nawaz is over the co-operation with the US inthe war against terrorism. Nawaz wants major modifications, if not a completebreak, with the policies followed by Musharraf. He does not regard the Talibanas a terrorist organisation. He looks upon it as a national resistance movementlike the Afghan Mujahideen of the 1980s. He is, therefore, against anyassociation of Pakistan with the NATO operations in Afghanistan. He wants theuse of the Karachi port and Pakistani territory by the NATO forces for thetransport of logistic supplies to Afghanistan to be re-considered. He favourscontinued co-operation with the US against Al Qaeda in the form of intelligencesharing and Pakistani operations in the Pakistani territory on the basis ofintelligence given by the US. He is against any joint operations with the US orany unilateral operations by the US in Pakistani territory. He wants a review ofthe reported presence of a large number of US intelligence personnel inPakistani territory for collecting intelligence. He is of the view thatintelligence collection in Pakistani territory should be done by the Pakistaniintelligence agencies. As regards action against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistanand Pakistani organisations in the tribal belt, he holds the view that thenature of these operations should be decided by Pakistan in accordance with itsnational interests and that there should be no dictation by the US on thisissue. Like Musharraf, he does not accept US allegations that Al Qaeda andTaliban leaders are based in Pakistani territory. He is totally against thepractice of Pakistani agencies informally picking up suspects named by the USand handing them over to the US agencies without following the due process oflaw. Zardari favours the continuance of the mechanism for co-operation laid downby Musharraf. However, he agrees with Nawaz that the practice of informallypicking up suspects named by the US and handing them over to the US should stop.Ultimately, the advice of Gen.Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, the COAS, as to theco-operation mechanism with the US, which would suit Pakistan's nationalinterests ,will have considerable impact on the changes, if any, to beintroduced in the policies inherited from Musharraf.