HOW HE SEES IT Now's the time to seek free trade with Pakistan

By JAY AMBROSE
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
The Bush administration can legitimately feel that the capture of Saddam Hussein helps justify the war in Iraq, undertaken principally to make Americans more secure from a genocidal, U.S.-hating dictator who could easily have put weapons of mass destruction in the hands of some of the terrorists with whom he associated.
There is something that could prove equally important to American security that the administration can now accomplish. It would require no tanks or soldiers and would be consonant with a frequently voiced principle.
President Bush can get rid of tariffs and quotas on Pakistani textiles, thereby helping to solidify the political position of its leader, Pervez Musharraf. If one of Musharraf's extremist rivals took his place, the United States would need to worry plenty. Pakistan has nuclear weapons, and a Pakistan controlled by militant Muslims could be a Pakistan giving Al-Qaida all the weapons of mass destruction its heart desires. The risks to the United States were made clear Sunday when would-be assassins blew up a bridge crossed by Musharraf just half a minute before the explosion.
Agreement's not enough
The United States, in addition to giving Pakistan aid, has an agreement to gradually reduce some tariffs and quotas on some products over a period of several years, but not a few observers agree that the concessions are too little to do much to improve Pakistani life. According to reports, the Bush administration would have done more except for some political wheeling and dealing with members of Congress from textile-producing states in the South.
The cost of trading freely is next to nothing; the United States would actually gain economically through cheaper prices for consumers and through enriching a country that could then afford to import more of our products.
In Pakistan, the consequence could be greater stability and less risk of nuclear weapons falling in the hands of terrorists. We can pursue these positive results without the pain and tragedy of war. Not to do so is inexcusable.