House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton
"A stable, democratic and prosperous
Al Qaeda has become progressively active in western
US Commander for counter-terrorism operations in
A UN report found nearly all suicide attackers in
US has provided
Recent polls shows only 19 pct Pakistanis now have a favorable view of US and most still see the fight against terrorism as an American one-
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Ambassador Teresita Schaffer with the Center for Strategic and International Studies
In the past six months, Musharraf has been seriously weakened-
Major non-religious political figures have diminished-
US is publicly involved in the deal-making leading to
Benazir Bhutto tarnished her political leadership in the process of understanding with General Pervez Musharraf-
Next elected government is likely to be an uneasy one-
Musharraf believes in unity of command not in power sharing-
PML (Q) and army will be strongly tempted to manipulate election to minimize Bhutto's claim on power-
Assuming Musharraf does retire, army will be a distinct power center no matter how careful Musharraf has been to promote officers loyal to him-
The biggest challenge will be a nasty and violent campaign by extremists-
The death toll in terrorist acts since July is at least several hundred. State authority looks weak, and the army looks inept-
Deep US involvement in Musharraf's effort to work out a political understanding with Benazir Bhutto reinforces perception that US is choosing Pakistan's government with no regard for the wishes of people-
Work with army on military issues, address its shortcomings in counterinsurgency, but do not build up its political role-
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Dr. Marvin G. Weinbaum
Scholar-in-Residence,
Islamabad has, for now, lost the battle to fight militancy and terrorism
Today
Musharraf's political problems during 2007 have served as a strong distraction from the problems posed in the tribal agencies
The International Republican Institute (IRI)
·
· Astonishing number of Pakistanis say country is headed in the wrong direction---73 pct
· A majority of 65 pct report that they feel less secure
· The government receives low marks for it performance on key issues--75 pct rate poor
·
· An overwhelming majority state that the ruling coalition does not deserve re-election
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· Economic issues remain the top concern of Pakistani voters
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·
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· Pakistanis feel that extremism is a serious problem
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· Votes are increasingly turning against Musharraf's dual roles---76 pct for Musharraf to resign as Army Chief
· Voters are opposed to a declaration of an emergency
·
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· Voters mixed on a potential Musharraf / Bhutto deal
· 35 pct supported and 49 percent opposed deal
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· Voters somewhat cynical in regards to Bhutto's motives for such a deal
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· Musharraf's decline continues to an all-time low of 21 percent, down from a high of 63 percent in September 2006
· Nawaz Sharif's rating surges to 53 pct
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· Bhutto slips to second to 36 pct
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· Musharraf re-election continues to lose support
· PML-N moves into first, PPPP slips into second, PML-Q drops into third
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