Teetering Musharraf Buoyed by U.S. Alliance(Wins * Admin Praise Despite Move Away From Democracy)

Source: Washington Post

Pakistani Leader Wins Administration Praise Despite Move Away From Democracy

By Griff Witte
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, May 28, 2007; Page A11

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 27 -- As confidence in Gen. Pervez Musharraf falls at home and abroad amid allegations he is moving away from democracy and becoming increasingly autocratic, the Pakistani president has had at least one unwavering ally: the United States.

Pakistanis -- particularly opposition figures -- are watching for signs that that will change. Any indication of weakening support from the United States, they say, could spell the end of Musharraf's teetering administration. But policymakers and analysts here and in Washington insist that is unlikely because the United States lacks a Plan B in Pakistan and is uncomfortable with alternatives to a man who has been considered a vital ally since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"U.S. policy in Pakistan is to move toward free and fair elections. But in practice, that comes in well behind the anti-terrorism agenda," said Teresita C. Schaffer, a former U.S. ambassador and director of the South Asia program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Musharraf has been embroiled in the strongest challenge yet to his rule since he suspended the country's chief justice on March 9 for alleged abuses of office. The judge, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, has denied the charges, and his name has become a rallying cry for Musharraf critics who suspect the president is trying to squelch democratic institutions and consolidate power. Chaudhry had been expected to decide cases later this year that could have derailed Musharraf's plans to serve another term.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052700977.html

I think "Plan B" in this case is sitting in the nose cones of India's ballistic missile fleet.

:argh: