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To: wanna_bmw who wrote (143759)	9/18/2001 5:42:51 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Pakistan - the base of operations for a ground war: Muslim Militants Pose Tough Challenge to Pakistan By REUTERS Filed at 4:12 a.m. ET September 18, 2001 ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A newspaper cartoon on Tuesday showed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf held at gun point between Uncle Sam and an Islamic cleric. ``Between the devil and deep sea,'' read the headline depicting Musharraf's predicament -- he cannot refuse to help the United States pursue perpetrators of last week's attacks in New York and Washington, nor can he afford to annoy Islamic militants, numbering millions across the country. On Monday, a meeting of Islamic militant groups and religious parties called for a countrywide strike on Friday, to protest against an expected U.S. attack on neighboring Afghanistan, and a rally in Pakistan's central city of Lahore. The gathering, representing all Sunni Muslim groups in the country, minced no words in threatening Musharraf with dire political consequences if he provided ground or air facilities to attacking U.S. forces. ``We should issue an edict of jihad (holy war),'' said Maulana Malik Abdul Raoof, a Sunni cleric, at the meeting of the Pakistan and Afghanistan Defense Council. ``If the government bows down under American pressure there should be a jihad against it as well,'' he added, as several heads nodded in approval. But the council, formed in January to support Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement when U.N. Security Council sanctions were imposed for refusing to surrender Osama bin Laden, did not issue such a threat against Musharraf. It did, however, make it clear it was ready to hold rallies and demonstrations despite a government ban. Another cleric from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Shafi Josh, also called for a jihad against the United States and asked the government to make up its mind whether to bow to the wishes of either Washington or its own people. Pakistanis, after an initial shock last week at the brutality of the attack, have started questioning whether an attack on Afghanistan without clear evidence of bin Laden's involvement was prudent. ``I hate violence, it was a shock to see those attacks on Tuesday,'' said Tariq Iqbal, a resident of Islamabad. ``But it also shows the extent of hatred of some people against America. Now any retaliation without evidence would add to it (hatred).'' Iqbal, a shopkeeper, said Musharraf needs to calculate the reaction in Pakistan against a U.S. attack on Afghanistan, already devastated by 20 years of war. ``Afghans are poor, defenseless and already suffering, what benefit will America have in killing them.'' Militant sources said things could spin out of control in Pakistan if Islamic groups were able to capitalize on popular anti-American sentiment in the country. Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in October 1999, has promised elections in October 2002. He has enjoyed modest popularity for political and economic reforms but does not have deep popular support. ``The nation is with the Taliban. Any attack by the United States on them can lead to domestic chaos and anarchy,'' said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam, a pro-Taliban religious political party. ``You (Musharraf) must see the implications of supporting the United States.'' Copyright 2001 Reuters Ltd. nytimes.com.