Amidst the prospect that the Supreme Court might declare his recent re-election to the presidency as null and void, Musharraf chose to act pre-emptively. Out of the 11 justifications trotted out for the suspension of constitution on Saturday, eight were accusations against the judiciary. As he promises to deliver more to the international community in the war against terror, Musharraf is confident that the Anglo-American powers will swallow his brazen actions.

Although India might be unwilling to admit it, this war against Islamic extremism across the Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan could redefine the security politics of the subcontinent. Our political class has been too immersed in an increasingly trivialised nuclear debate to notice the profound transformation occurring along the Durand Line and its implications for India. The security establishment in New Delhi, in turn, finds it difficult to overcome the inertia of the recent preoccupations on J&K and cross-border terrorism.

Consider the following developments on the Durand Line. One, the war against terror is no longer limited to the territory of Afghanistan. It has spilled over across into the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province. Two, the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have demonstrated their growing political and administrative control over four of the seven tribal agencies that constitute the FATA — North and South Waziristan, Bajaur, and now Swat.

Three, the attempts by Pakistani security forces to regain control over these provinces either through negotiated ceasefire arrangements or use of force have failed miserably. Four, there is a growing demoralisation within the Pakistan security forces, many of whose ranks are reluctant to fight fellow countrymen. This sentiment finds a larger echo in the Pakistani political spectrum, where many consider the war on the frontier as an American one rather than a national one against terrorism and extremism.

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