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The twin bomb blasts that tore through a bus and a marketplace in the garrison town of Rawalpindi yesterday, killing 25 people and injuring more than 60 others is by far the worst incident of its kind since the Red Mosque imbroglio in the capital Islamabad last July killed 100.
Since then, strikes on the military have seen a steady increase, particularly in the tribal areas.
The latest assault is an unequivocal message from the forces that want to destabilise this pivotal country in the US-led war against terror that the threat of Talibanisation is all too real. It underlines more than ever the rising power of Islamist groups with a transnational agenda to strike at the foundations of the larger South Asian-Middle East region. It is in this context that talks between the two moderate forces of President General Pervez Musharraf and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto must be seen.
Encouraged by the US and the UK to come to an understanding that extends the term of Pakistan's beleaguered president and allows the rehabilitation of a popular leader who can legitimately reflect the aspirations of the people, both have been vilified for their 180 degree turn, for turning to each other for their own selfish gain. The third player in this high stakes political game, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in announcing his own return from exile without the blessings of the establishment looks set to upset the cosy apple cart.
But as Iraq and Afghanistan and the recent judicial crisis within the country have shown the Pakistan street, much like the Arab, has its own dynamics. For nuclear Pakistan's transition to democracy to be more than just a convenient catch phrase, this South Asian nation would be better served if the power to change things truly rests with the people, however troubled that transition might be.
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