A Militant Pakistan Remains Unlikely

A Militant Pakistan Remains Unlikely

Sunday July 8, 2007 8:31 PM

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By STEPHEN GRAHAM

Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf
is fighting to maintain control of Pakistan in the face of rising
Islamic militancy and a secular pro-democracy movement.

A key U.S. ally, Musharraf himself remains under threat, most
recently on Friday, when unknown suspects opened fire from
a rooftop after his plane took off from a military base.

For some in the West, an exit - especially a violent one - for
the military strongman conjures up a scenario of Pakistan and
its nuclear weapons falling into militant hands.

But for the moment, moderate, pro-Western forces appear
far stronger than radical Islamists, and would likely emerge
victorious from the turmoil that could follow the president's
removal.

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