Zardari feared Taliban would 'outpay' Pakistani soldiers

The militants want my job and the state is literally now at stake, said Zardari.

According to the latest ‘secret’ cables released by Wikileaks, in a cable dated November 15, 2008 sent by former US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson, President Zardari admitted to General Petraeus that the Taliban could “outpay” Pakistani soldiers and that he needed to compensate persons displaced by the fighting.

According to Patterson, Zardari was seeking to pay Rs1,000 each to IDPs from Bajaur, but that he did not have resources to reach all the displaced, as it was snowing already in the mountains. Zardari identified poverty, refugee camps and madrassahs as ongoing problems that bred extremism.

Zardari said that "we intend to finish the job; defeat is not an option." The militants, said Zardari, want my job and the state is literally now at stake as the lives of 180 million Pakistanis depended on success in the fight.

Petraeus agreed on the importance of obtaining public support for the campaign against terrorism. The effort would require combined political, economic, military and diplomatic engagement. "Your success is our success," he said.



Saying Pakistan was a rich country in resources but needed short-term help due to the international economic situation, Zardari urged US support through the Friends of Pakistan to sustain the country while he created a middle class and fought extremism.

The cables reveals Zardari said he needed help from Pakistan's oil-rich neighbors and was going to Saudi Arabia to ask for resources. He also had asked China for assistance with steel mill construction and other projects. Zardari expressed dismay that time had run out in the U.S. Congress before it could enact the Biden/Lugar assistance bill, but said Pakistan would engage with the new Congress with a "road show" to convince them to open up U.S. markets that would create jobs. What was needed, said Zardari, was a Marshall Plan to "help us help ourselves. If we slip, we go back to zero."

The full text of the cables can be read on Dawn.com, The Hindu and NDTV. WikiLeaks has previously released cables to other media organisations including Guardian and the New York Times.