Stop the Presses! Stratfor has, through keen study of intelligence data, made a momentous discovery — one that no one else has ever happened upon!
By Khalid Hasan in the Daily Times :
Washington: “The coming political transition is unlikely to foster stability because Musharraf will be sharing power with a civilian prime minister leading a coalition government, and with an army chief. This means the next army chief and the new head of the ISI could be heavily involved in politics at a time when they need to concentrate on combating jihadism,” according to a commentary by Stratfor.
[…]
Stratfor said Pakistan now faces the biggest challenge since its inception: a growing jihadist insurgency. Thus far, the military establishment has been on the defensive regarding an unprecedented wave of suicide attacks, mostly against army personnel and facilities – including some very sensitive installations.
The process of purging militant sympathisers within the ranks of the military and the intelligence apparatus has been going on since the 9/11 attacks, but the new ISI chief will not be able to deal with the jihadist problem before sealing the leaks in the national security network – an objective that is not likely to be achieved any time soon. Among other problems, this could create a conflict between Washington and Islamabad over the United States” counter-terrorism imperatives.
Gee, ya think?
Meanwhile:
“Pakistan backs off Al Qaeda pursuit: Political realities force Musharraf to reduce efforts against Al Qaeda, depriving the U.S. of one of its strongest counter-terrorism allies,” by Greg Miller in the Los Angeles Times :
WASHINGTON — — Political turmoil and a spate of brazen attacks by Taliban fighters are forcing Pakistan’s president to scale back his government’s pursuit of Al Qaeda, according to U.S. intelligence officials who fear that the terrorist network will be able to accelerate its efforts to rebuild and plot new attacks.