Pakistan-U.S. Relations

A stable, democratic, prosperous Pakistan is considered vital to U.S. interests. U.S. concerns regarding Pakistan include regional and global terrorism Afghan stability democratization and human rights protection the ongoing Kashmir problem and Pakistan-India tensions and economic development. A U.S.-Pakistan relationship marked by periods of both cooperation and discord was transformed by the Sep 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the ensuing enlistment of Pakistan as a key ally in U.S.-led counterterrorism efforts. Top U.S. officials regularly praise Pakistan for its ongoing cooperation, although doubts exist about Islamabads commitment to some core U.S. interests. Pakistan is identified as a base for terrorist groups and their supporters operating in Kashmir, India, and Afghanistan. Pakistans army has conducted unprecedented and largely ineffectual counterterrorism operations in the countrys western tribal areas, where Al Qaeda operatives and their allies are believed to enjoy safehavens. A separatist insurgency in the divided Kashmir region has been underway since 1989. India has blamed Pakistan for the infiltration of Islamic militants into its Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir state. A perceived Pakistan-India nuclear arms race has been the focus of U.S. nonproliferation efforts in South Asia. In 1999, the elected government was ousted in a coup led by then-Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf, who later assumed the title of president. Supreme Court-ordered elections seated a new civilian government in 2002, but it remained weak, and Musharraf retained the position as army chief until his 2007 retirement. International concerns grew in late 2007 with Musharrafs 6-week-long imposition of emergency rule, and the Dec 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister and leading opposition figure Benazir Bhutto. However, Feb 2008 parliamentary elections were relatively credible and seated a coalition opposed to Musharrafs rule.