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Life in Pakistan has become increasingly scary (perhaps that sounds ironic considering what has been going on there for so long, however, daily life can be "normal", maybe just not our normal. ). At any rate, even in cities such as Rawalpindi (a suburb of Islamabad) that normally are relatively safe, things are changing rapidly. I am not a Pakistani nor am I a Muslim, but I have family there -- I worry daily about the increased suicide bombings and the "disappeared". And now this, which will only strengthen the extremist element. It will get much worse before (or perhaps if) it gets better. Most of the Pakistani people are against the militant element -- most of the Pakistani people are smart enough to understand what the Taliban are doing. In the cities, Muslims are moderate and not fundamentalist. The Taliban make inroads through fear, they rule through fear. The corruption and lack of democracy in Pakistan allow the extremist element to flourish. What is their political future? -- Bhutto, who is not a particularly smart politician, is not liked or trusted in the Punjab (the most populace province) and her husband's corruption is well remembered. A possibility would be reinstated Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, however, he would need to resign from his government appointed position (for a two year period) before he would be eligible to run for office. Musharaf, if he wants to hang on to power, needs to have fair elections, not declare martial law.
