Backlash imperils Pakistani leader

0 Comments | USA TODAY, March, 2004 | by David J. Lynch

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The prospect of nabbing a top al-Qaeda leader in Pakistan's lawless tribal region may have evaporated. But for President Pervez Musharraf, the risks of an aggressive anti-terrorism campaign remain.

A tape broadcast Thursday that claimed to be a recording made by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's top deputy, called Musharraf a traitor and urged people to overthrow his government. The audiotape was broadcast by the Al-Jazeera satellite network. The speaker called on Pakistani soldiers to disobey Musharraf.

One reason is clear: the Pakistani leader's alliance with the United States in the war on terrorism. The ongoing military operation in South Waziristan, a remote tribal land bordering Afghanistan, responds to longstanding U.S. demands that...