US, Pakistan Torn Apart Over Terror -- Asia Times

Recent events in Pakistan have raised critical issues concerning the continuation of Pakistan's support for the United States-led "war on terror" in Afghanistan.

Commencing with the enormous backlash in Pakistan in the aftermath of the raid by US special forces on Angoori Ada in the tribal area of South Waziristan on September 3; the disclosure by the New York Times that President George W Bush issued secret orders allowing US special forces to undertake operations inside Pakistan without prior notice; and the aggressive statements of several Pakistani leaders, the entire country has been gripped by a wave of anti-American sentiment which the country's top civilian and military leadership has also been quick to echo.

Although disagreements between Pakistan and the US have persisted since the latter invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and president General Pervez Musharraf engineered the abrupt somersault in Pakistan's policy towards the Taliban to bring it in line with US dictates, these have seldom assumed serious proportions or created apprehensions as they do now.

Recent events indicate that a major recalculation might be in the offing in Islamabad with regard to Pakistan's support for the "war on terror". Even the militants seem to have recognized the weakness of the regime in Islamabad and have conveyed a powerful message to it with the recent attack on the Marriott Hotel located in the heart of Islamabad.

Read more ....

My Comment: The underlying problem with Pakistan is that a significant portion of its population supports Al Qaeda and the Taliban. This support is deep and not easy to change.