In February 2002, a mere two years after the President of the USA very publicly refused to endorse the new military government of Pakistan, Pakistan’s leader, General Pervez Musharraf, stood up on a platform in Washington with US Secretary of State for Defense Donald Rumsfeld. In between the friendly badinage, Rumsfeld looked Musharraf in the eye and said warmly: ‘Mr. President, we – our country – and indeed the world – [have] a big stake in your country and your part of the world, and we wish you well in your important work.’ The dramatic turn of events in the aftermath of 9/11 pushed Pakistan into a new spotlight. From being an international outcast for its longstanding support of the Taliban and militant cross-border insurgents in Kashmir, Pakistan became the key strategic partner of America’s war on terror. The same military leaders who had facilitated jihadist networks to fight their proxy wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir, and who may well have turned a blind eye to the illegal sale of nuclear materials, are now being touted as the US’s regional standard bearers.
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