Power struggle in Pakistan has terror war as a subtext

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, now in exile in Britain, is planning to return to his country on Sunday to launch his challenge of President Pervez Musharraf’, who is making a bid for another five-year term. There is a possibility that Sharif will be arrested on charges of corruption stemming from his tenure in office.

Such a move — Musharraf, who is also head of the military, seized power from Sharif in 1999 — would fan the flames of political turmoil that is sweeping the country. The Associated Press reported last week that Sharif has aligned himself with Islamist parties that voice support for the Taliban and deplore Musharraf’s alliance with the United States.

Indeed, in an interview Sunday with CNN Wolf Blitzer, the former prime minister parsed his words when answering a question about the Taliban’s role in terrorist activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Taliban leaders, who governed Afghanistan before the U.S.-led invasion overthrew the government, went into hiding in the mountain region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and have been regrouping.

Intelligence agencies have said that Taliban leaders, who gave Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist operatives a safe haven when they were in power, is now working with Pakistani tribal leaders on the border to protect the world’s leading terrorist. Bin Laden was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on America’s homeland and has eluded capture despite a huge reward offered by the U.S. government.

Cause for concern

Former Prime Minister Sharif’s unwilling to condemn the Taliban outright should be of concern to the Bush administration, which has embraced Musharraf as its chief ally in the war on the global terrorism. Musharraf has not shied away from the playing the role of America’s partner, which is one of the reasons he has been the target of three assassination attempts. In addition, his crackdown on Islamic extremists and his botched attempt to fire the nation’s top judge have energized his political opponents and made his re-election bid iffy at best.

Hence, Musharraf is contemplating a power-sharing arrangement with another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, who also is living in exile in Britain. Bhutto, who still enjoys widespread support in Pakistan, shares America’s concern about the spread of global terrorism and would be more willing than Sharif to work with the Bush administration.

Bhutto wants the president to step down as the head of the military and to drop any criminal charges that are outstanding from her tenure as prime minister.

It is clear that the political situation in Pakistan is at a critical juncture, with the current administration facing an uncertain future.

This is not good news for the Bush administration. A takeover of Pakistan by a leader aligned with Islamic extremists would be problematic for the region.

Pakistan is a nuclear power and such weapons in the wrong hands could cause India, which is also a nuclear power, to go on high alert. The two countries have fought three wars over the disputed region of Kashmir.

While President Bush as rightly criticized Musharraf’s perceived power grab and has advised him to ensure open and honest democratic elections, he cannot ignore the political reality in Pakistan today.

A Musharraf-Bhutto alliance is in this country’s best interest.