Musharraf’s saviour complex and his belief that he alone can save Pakistan have made an orderly transition to democracy, advocated by the Americans, difficult. It is now clear Musharraf will not change and will certainly not share power.

The defiance of the judiciary and the media might not topple him but it could render Musharraf ineffective to a point where the military rethinks its options. The army will soon recognise that the only thing keeping Musharraf and his civilian cronies in power is the army’s support. The army risks alienating the people of Pakistan further and losing the respect of the people while acting in the interests of Musharraf and his political allies.

At some point the professional soldiers will wonder whether they should risk their institution’s position to keep the ragtag bunch constituting PML-Q in power. That might be the moment when Musharraf’s Corps Commanders might advise their chief to become a civilian like those whose urgings have brought him, and Pakistan, to a difficult pass again.

Husain Haqqani is Director of Boston University’s Center for International Relations, and Co-Chair of the Islam and Democracy Project at Hudson Institute, Washington DC. He is author of the book ‘Pakistan between Mosque and Military’