Musharraf cannot survive the year. His actions over the past few months have pitted the armed forces against the Pakistani public and a section of the establishment that includes the judiciary and civil society. If Musharraf continues along this present path in defiance of public and judicial demands, he may plunge the country into civil war.
In 1971 the army was responsible for separating the country and it may now do immeasurable damage to what is left of Pakistan. Moreover, Musharraf's policies since 9/11 of subduing one group of Islamic extremists while cozying up to another has proved devastating for a country already beset with too many political and social cleavages.
Cooperation with the U.S. is not the problem and the next elected government is likely to do much the same, as long as it has the army's support. The problem is that Pakistan’s people want an end to military rule and the symbol of that has unfortunately become Musharraf.
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