Pakistani Jihadis Want Musharraf out

Thousands of opposition activists rallied Monday in this city in northwestern Pakistan, chanting "Death to dictatorship!" in the latest demonstration against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's grip on power.

The supporters of a coalition of radical Islamic groups staged the demonstration along a main street in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's conservative North West Frontier Province, which the six-party alliance also rules.

The grouping — United Action Forum — kicked up a campaign of countrywide protests against Musharraf days after he went back on a promise to become a civilian head of state and leave his army job by the end of 2004.

Many chanted "No to Musharraf's rule!" and "God is great!" as they carried the white flags of the anti-American coalition.

Some of the demonstrators burned an effigy of Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

"We will sit in peace only when Musharraf's rule and military's interference in politics is ended," the alliance's leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed said at the rally.

"Musharraf is not acceptable to us either as the president or army chief. He is an American agent. He is working for American interests," he said amid chants of "America's friend is a traitor."

Musharraf has allied Pakistan with the U.S.-led war against terrorism, a decision that angered Islamic groups, which accuse him of undermining the country's sovereignty and ruling as a dictator.

The alliance made unexpected gains in parliamentary polls in 2002 mainly on a platform of opposition to Musharraf, and support for the Taliban militia in neighboring Afghanistan.

A U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power in late 2001 for harboring al-Qaeda.

Musharraf promised to step down as chief of the army after striking a surprise deal with the alliance to get its support in Parliament for passing measures that gave him sweeping powers, including the authority to dismiss the legislature and the prime minister.

But Musharraf reneged on his pledge, saying his stay as army chief will ensure stability in government policies, including the war against terrorism.

Recent demonstrations against Musharraf, which have been held in various cities, are unlikely to force him to change his mind. On Friday, more than 10,000 people attended the coalition's rally in the southwestern city of Quetta.

Witnesses estimated that more than 20,000 people were at the protest in Peshawar.

What if the F16s and Pakistani nukes were to fall into the hands of such types?

Source: AP