In fact the ill-advised emergency measures announced by General Musharraf on Saturday are entirely designed to save himself

the long-term implications for democracy in the nuclear-armed nation and security in the volatile region it straddles will are troubling to say theleast

rampant Islamic militants owing allegiance to al-Qa'ida and the Taliban who are now spreading their campaign of suicide bomb blasts far beyond the confines of the remote parts of the North-West Frontier Province and regularly hitting major targets in cities such as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and, most recently, in Sarghoda

Musharraf's behaviour has emboldened the militants who

are gaining ground precisely because of the unpopularity of General Musharraf

bin Laden believes it is ripe for takeover, and this has to be seen in the context of Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons

until the country has a democratically elected government, no amount of draconian lawmaking

will save it from the catastrophe it confronts