0830 Hours IST
30 October 2010
PPC World News Broadcast
In a surprising development in Pakistan, General Beg a few minutes ago appeared on Pakistan TV and radio claiming that he had quelled the rebellion by some of his subordinates that had threatened to shove his nuclear armed nation in to a bloody and very dangerous civil war. Reading from a prepared statement he said that most of the rebel officers led by General Asgar have either been killed or arrested facing further trial. He assured everybody that things are under his complete control and urged everybody to get on with their lives as usual.
But international observers were far from convinced. Pointing to the still raging battles inside major Pakistani cities, they said that General Beg's claims of quelling the revolt were far from true. His opponent, General Asgar had powerful allies both within and outside Pakistan and forces loyal to him still controlled the coastal city of Karachi and parts of disputed region of Jammu & Kashmir. Further, many influential Islamist groups based in Pakistan had come out openly in support of General Asgar, mainly to show their disapproval of what they say was General Beg's sucking up to USA for money. Two of these groups have taken over the controls of civil administration in Peshawar, Malakand and Quetta.
General Beg not only has to control his nation's armed forces but also these powerful Islamist groups that threaten his grip on power more than anything. These groups hold just more than significant influence on Pakistani civilians as well as serving and retired defence personnel. Therefore earning their support is going to be vital if he wants to consolidate his position.
How he manages to gather their support without antagonising his western allies is a matter of debate itself. Regarding this matter, no less importance should be attached to Indian reaction. It becomes still more important right now as it suffered three deadly terrorist attacks in a single day killing nearly 300 people, allegedly by Islamic terrorists supported by the very same groups that Beg needs to appease.
Flames And Arrows Page 18
