Summary:
Pakistan's government is being challenged from all sides: the Taliban fighters crossing over from Afghanistan have harassed and terrorized civilians and soldiers alike without impunity in the Northwest frontier regions, Indian troops remain firmly entrenched in what most Pakistanis consider occupied Muslim territory in Kashmir, and the U.S. is pressuring the Zardari government to crack down on the fundamentalist insurgents, fearful of what havoc a nuclear-armed Taliban would wreak on the rest of the world. The problems facing the Pakistani government are exacerbated all the more by the grim reality that after sixty years of independence, rather than unite against the frequent military coups or corrupt civilian governments, the peoples of Pakistan remain firmly tribal and local-based in their sense of identity and loyalty. The ability of Pakistan to respond to all the problems it faces as a state is limited by the reality that there is little national unity among its people. Any progress Pakistan could possibly make in fighting the Taliban and securing stable government within its own borders will depend on whether or not the Zardari regime is willing or able to crack down on rampant corruption, unite popular opinion against the Taliban, and keep popular support through ongoing anti-insurgent campaigns. Only then will it acquire any semblance of legitimacy, and only then can it effectively lead Pakistan.
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