New Delhi: There is no hard evidence on the whereabouts of Mullah Omar or Osama Bin Laden but only guessed estimates. And Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pleads he doesn't know where the top leadership of the Taliban and al-Qaeda is.
However, analysts suggest that either George W Bush has little choice but to go along with Musharraf or he has taken a deliberate decision to back him.
"There's a linkage between those in positions of power in the US, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. There is a close connect between the Pentagon and the generals in Pakistan. The US has become its own biggest enemy by pandering to Musharraf's regime," Former Deputy National Security Adviser Satish Chandra says.
Reports say that the American troops are withdrawing because there aren't enough NATO forces inside Afghanistan to provide them security cover. And the icing on the cake is Musharraf's recent deal with Waziristan's tribal leaders.
"He (Musharraf) has created spaces for terrorism to exist in Pakistan. He has acted under enormous pressure from the US to take action against specific targets. Almost invariable when intelligence has been forced upon him," Terrorism Expert Ajai Sahni says.
The suicide bombing in Kabul three-days ago were the surest sign of a deadly Taliban resurgence. Adding to that, this year's opium harvest - the source of Taliban funding - has hit an all time high.
Worried about the impact of an unstable Afghanistan on India's national security, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to draw the attention of the United Nations General Assembly to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.
But as long as the US believes Pakistan to be a critical ally in its war on terror, India's voice will likely go unheard.
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