NEW
YORK: A strong action in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan
by beleaguered Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf could lead to a spilt in the
army, a media report said on
Saturday.
Detailing a multitude
of troubles that Musharraf faces at home,
Time
magazine quoting a former head of the
powerful intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence said many foreign
observers believe that his days are numbered as leader of Pakistan, raising the
issue of who could possibly replace America's primary ally in the war against
terror in this critical
region.
The Pakistan President
has come under strong criticism from the United States for his policy of
non-engagement in the tribal areas which is now considered a complete
failure.
Washington is
demanding that Musharraf do more to rein in terrorists, extremists and religious
fundamentalists. But in an interview with the magazine, Hamid Gul, former head
of ISI, has warned that if Musharraf does take both gloves off in tribal areas,
it would just increase the likelihood of a split in
army.
"The officer cadres are
liberal, secular, they come from the elite classes. But the rank and file of the
army were never secular, they were always religious," Gul
said.
"If there is a face-off
between the army and people, the leadership may lose control of the army. The
army does not feel happy. They are from the same streets, the same villages, the
same bazaars of the lower and middle classes, and they want the same thing
(Islamic law) for their
country."
The increasing
suicide attacks in Pakistan in the wake of storming of Lal Masjid by army in
which a large number of militants were killed have brought some relief to
Afghanistan.
Time
reported that the spate of suicide bombings in Pakistan seems to have cooled the
immediate sense of crisis in
Afghanistan.
Word on the
streets of Kabul is that the suicide bombers from Pakistan's tribal areas who
until recently headed west into Afghanistan to train Afghan militants or carry
out attacks themselves are now heading east into the cities of Pakistan, where
they have new motives and better targets to attack, it
added.
"Normally the Pakistanis
come to Afghanistan, but now they are busier in Pakistan," Waheed Muzhda, an
Afghan political analyst who worked for the foreign ministry during the Taliban
regime, is quoted by Time as
saying.
"The media is also
focusing on Pakistan's violence. That is why everyone thinks the violence has
been reduced here."
Talking
about jubilations following reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry,
Time has said the decision is a major blow for Musharraf who is facing increased
resistance to his rule, new pressure from Washington to crackdown on militants
and a wave of suicide bombings in the country.