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The stakes could scarcely be higher. Ever since 9/11, what has most concerned the Bush administration is the horrific prospect that Islamic terrorists might get their hands on a nuclear weapon. Despite the rhetoric, Saddam Hussein's Iraq never posed that threat. Neither does Iran. But Pakistan does. Pakistan is a failing Muslim state with nuclear weapons and a network of madrassas instilling the call to jihad into thousands of impressionable young men, some of whom have returned to Pakistan from lives as immigrants in Europe precisely to absorb this message. Pakistan is now Al Qaeda's main refuge, and its wild northern frontier is the back base for the Taliban seeking to overthrow the government in neighboring Afghanistan. Afghanistan's embattled President Hamid Karzai was actually Bhutto's last official visitor. "I met with her this morning," Karzai said after news of her death reached him. "I found her to be a very brave woman, with a clear vision for her own country, for Afghanistan and for the region, the vision of democracy and prosperity and peace." Karzai was in Pakistan leading a high-level Afghan delegation that was trying to thrash out with Musharraf and his top advisers a common strategy against the Taliban and their allies. The turmoil that now seems almost inevitable in Pakistan will put that "vision of democracy and prosperity and peace" in the region even further out of reach.

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Posted By: ritu @ 01/10/2008 6:02:17 AM

I wish one could think of some way to get out of this horrific situation but as far as one can see its a no win situation at the moment. What Pakistan needs at this point in time is to go beyond differences and unite . Its certainly better to have a country than to be known as a Refugee.
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Posted By: vickyB @ 01/08/2008 1:56:38 PM

This article is absurd, infact shows that the writer and the editor had little or no knowledge about what they were writing. Pakistan inthe last five years have become the only MUSLIM majority country where moderates rule and extremists, may they be religious, cultural, ideological etc, have either been cornered or rooted out. Its ironic to see that reputed magazines like Newsweek and others are no different than our local language newspapers, who for trivial personal gains can print anything which is eyecatching yet baseless, once it comes to educating people about the national and international updates. This effort of yours will pay you nothing except that, readers like me and my friends, not only you will loose your credibility, as you have at leats in my group, but people who believed in the idea of FREEDOM of SPEECH will also shed this sweet dream and consider it as a nightmare. I know this epistle will not affect your bizzare and intentional (PAID ALSO) attitude but just wanted to do this last favour to someone i always looked forward to for enlightening my horizon. I must also assure you that yes negligible number of people may buy your idea, temporarily, but PAKISTANIS as a nation now know that who is paying you and for what. We as a nation will make sure that your evil designs are not met. Keep trying but at the end you will not only be a loser but will also be embarassed.
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Posted By: eddiewhere @ 12/28/2007 5:44:48 AM

We are in big trouble extremist and children of moderates all around the world are being seduced by the chapter of JIHAD. If you look at the Madrassa's they are brainwashing futre genereations in that region with the chapter of JIHAD. IT is like subliminal indoctrination. This is very dangerous. THEY ARE TEACHING THE CHILDREN TO FIGHT JIHAD FOR one hundred years. Obama is the only candidate that can change antiamericanism in that region. It just feels right voting for OBAMA