Musharraf re-election will not end political crisis: CFR repor

The US Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has said in its report that should President Pervez Musharraf win a new term, it will not end Pakistans political crisis.

Washington, Oct 6 : The US Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has said in its report that should President Pervez Musharraf win a new term, it will not end Pakistan's political crisis.

The report notes that Musharraf has received the Supreme Court's nod to contest while remaining in uniform so long as he sheds it if he wins.

He saw off late challenges from two exiled former Prime Ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and to protect his future interest, the General named a loyalist, Lt-General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, to succeed him as the Army Chief, the report adds.

"Given that the election is in the hands of the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies, the opposition's decision to boycott it virtually assures his re-election," the report says.

But the CFR warns that Musharraf's re-election as President does not necessarily translate into stability for Pakistan, the Dawn reported.

"The army is failing in its fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban, who have expanded their influence and operations in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, pushing large parts of the country beyond government control," the report claims.

According to the CFR, Pakistan's Army, like its population, is deeply divided over the 'war on terror'.

"This is not our war; the Taliban, al Qaeda are not criminals in our country," a major from the Pakistani army told the Atlantic, the report notes.

Selig S. Harrison, a South Asia expert at the Centre for International Policy warns of a 'radical Pashtunistan' would further deteriorate the situation.

ANI