Matthew K. Roy
Salem News, Gloucester Daily Times

— Congressman John Tierney's exploring the Taliban’s rising influence in Pakistan, checking on conditions in Afghanistan and meeting with government officials, including the Pakistan president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, while leading a group of lawmakers on a tour of the two countries.

Tierney’s contingent, two Democrats and a Republican who sit on the House of Representatives subcommittee he chairs, spent three days in Pakistan and were yesterday scheduled to travel to Afghanistan. The first leg of the fact-finding mission uncovered some troubling developments, Tierney said.

“There’s a general concern here that the Taliban and religious extremists are having more of a presence, that they’re becoming more vocal and violent,” the Salem Democrat said yesterday from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Tierney said he heard reports of increased attacks on women and the forced shuttering of record stores. The apparent “Talibanization” of Pakistan is bad news for the United States, Tierney said.

“Our country ought to be very concerned about what’s going on here and the implications of it,” he said. “The stakes are high.” Pakistan could become a haven for the Taliban and al-Qaida.

“You don’t need there being another place they can set up and train,” Tierney said.

With a stronghold in Pakistan, the Taliban could disrupt progress in neighboring Afghanistan, he said. Tierney’s trip is among the many lawmakers are taking during Congress’ Easter recess. President Bush yesterday criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her trip to Syria, a country the United States believes sponsors terrorists.

The trip is further example of Tierney’s heightened profile in Congress. He earned national attention recently when his subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs, a branch of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, turned an eye toward failures at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

In Pakistan, Tierney’s group heard from those critical of Musharraf for not aggressively pushing against the Taliban and for what they see as the president’s anti-democratic impulse — Musharraf suspended Pakistan’s Supreme Court chief justice and detained hundreds of his political opponents before a planned protest.

During their meeting, Musharraf defended himself, saying he was doing everything he could to combat the Taliban, Tierney said.

In Afghanistan, Tierney planned to meet with representatives of the government and U.S. troops. He will investigate the progress being made in rebuilding the country.

“People have to see water being delivered and roads being built,” Tierney said.

The congressman will learn about the ongoing fight against the Taliban and the long-range plan to ensure stability in the country.

“We’re looking at the entire situation over here,” Tierney said.

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