At the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, Gen Musharraf was locked in deliberations with senior military officers, unable to decide on civilians who would govern with them. ``They are facing the pressure of public expectation, and it is very high,'' said Ayaz Amir, a columnist for The Dawn newspaper. ``Their problem is that when they form their team, the public should say: ``Ah, finally, we have got the government of our dreams. But there is not a large pool to choose from.'' Several candidates have turned Gen Musharraf down, wary of associating with a military regime. ``A lot of people are a lot cannier than they let on, and they just want to see what the General has in mind before they declare themselves,'' said a diplomat.

TheGeneral's declared reform programme -- abolishing corruption -- would take a revolution. It would require a complete overhaul of the entire administrative machinery: police, judges, tax collectors, teachers and bureaucrats. But the appointments Gen Musharraf has made so far are hardly revolutionary: three retired military men and a former judge as governors of Pakistan's four provinces, and a serving general to lead his anti-corruption drive. That, and the announcement yesterday that army colonels will monitor the performance of government departments, has fuelled suspicions that Gen Musharraf has no intention of sharing power.

All the names being linked with possible government posts are members of the establishment that has ruled Pakistan for 52 years, and led it to its present ruin.

--The Guardian