'Musharraf turning into one of Bush's most dangerous partners'

NEW YORK: Asserting that the US advising Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf against imposing emergency is not enough, an influential daily here has asked Washington to tell him to negotiate a rapid return to democracy before it is took late and warned that he is turning into one of the Bush administration's "most dangerous" partners.

While stating this, the 'New York Times' in an editorial titled 'High-Maintenance Musharraf' was referring to the midnight call of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday to the General during which she apparently advised him against seizing new powers to suspend Parliament, hamstring courts, curb street demonstration and guarantee himself a new Presidential term.

Stating that after eight years of authoritarianism and broken promises, Musharraf has forfeited the support he once enjoyed among ordinary Pakistanis, educated professionals and even fellow military officers, the Times stressed that more than early-morning crisis management will be needed to keep "this very difficult situation from turning drastically worse."

Pointing out that the Pakistani military dictator has worked himself and his friends into a tight corner, the paper emphasised that the crisis may only have been postponed.

If Musharraf tries to forcibly cling to power over growing protests, the paper warned, the most likely beneficiaries are militant minorities, from armed Islamist groups to conspiratorial military nationalists.

Stating that the extremists stand ready to exploit the resulting tensions to their own advantage, the paper added that their political representatives have never attracted majorities when Pakistan has held reasonably fair elections.
   
"But if they managed to seize power in a political crisis, they would gain control not only of Pakistan's strategic frontiers, but of its nuclear arsenal and know-how as well," it said.

Pakistan's location, adjoining Afghanistan, Iran, India and China, makes it one of America's most important allies, the Times said but added that General Musharraf's "reckless political trajectory is turning him into one of the Bush administration's most dangerous partners."

The paper said while he regularly pleads that he is too weak to crush the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces that find ready sanctuary inside his country, he has shown no lack of enthusiasm for lashing out at Pakistan's reawakening civil society.

"Most Pakistanis now want a return to elected civilian government, even if that means bringing back some of the flawed party leaders the General has tried to banish from political life, like two former Prime Ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif," the editorial commented.