It’s been forever acknowledged that Pakistan is a haven for al-Qaeda and for the hatching of its plans. The local religious schools and the Taliban have augmented the stronghold that Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network has over several parts of the South Asian nation. Pressure from the US on General Musharraf to do something truly fast is multiplying and the only means for restoration of pride and honour for the Pakistani President seems to the local tribal chiefs in key areas of his State.
President Pervez Musharraf’s popularity is worsening day by day. His domestic policies have already been labeled as a farce and his international relations too have come under close scrutiny. His failure to curb the rising Taliban insurgency in his nation has also raised concern over his leadership and now there’s a serious danger that the Pakistan leader’s rule may be about to burst.
Pakistan’s remote enclaves have been identified as the main areas wherein al-Qaeda operate and train its members. And it is in these areas that the Pakistani President need to focus his energy. Local tribal chiefs control such areas and without their help, access to these far removed and often isolated regions is well near impossible. It is through these tribal chiefs that the military army can tap into the dens of al-Qaeda. However, Pakistani army still have to convince these local chiefs to commit themselves to the cause of eradicating al-Qaeda presence from the country.
But persuading these disinterested local chiefs is going to be anything but easy. They really lack any good incentive to make a pact with a government, whom many Pakistanis see as a puppet being played on by US President George W Bush. Last September, the Pakistani army agreed to suspend its operations in the Tribal Areas in return for promises that al-Qaeda suspects would be handed over but it has been far from successful.
Of the seven Tribal regions, North Waziristan and Bajaur are the most sensitive and critical ones but President Musharraf has been unable to thread his way into either of the regions. Strategists believe that he should do this quick or else his declining popularity could seen him fall off the tightrope that he is walking on.
Two recent events have illustrated how vulnerable the Pakistani President is. Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has once more asked for the overthrow of the Pakistan President and this has helped flare up tension to an even greater degree in the country. Also, the former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has raised her voice against the military government and is trying to promote herself. Though, she is increasingly gathering popularity among the Pakistan people, but she has little control over the army. Whether she will ultimately reestablish her authority in the country would be decided only by the failure of President Musharraf to control Taliban and al-Qaeda inrgency in the nation.
Image Source: US Vet
Source: The Telegraph, UK BBC
