Competing visions for Pakistan's future

He is the point man in Pakistan's war on terrorism, a difficult job by any measure.

And Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider isn't raising expectations. He says it will take years of effort and severe punishments to restore law and order to Pakistan.

As a frontline state in America's war in Afghanistan, Pakistan remains a vital staging area for both military and humanitarian missions. Any significant disruption of stability here could change the course of the entire war.

That is precisely the motive behind all the recent terrorist incidents here, including the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, the massacre of Shiite Muslims in Rawalpindi, and the bombing of a Protestant church, says General Haider.

"To fight these people you have to use a heavy hand with them, and it takes time," says Haider, with his narrow eyes and slick black hair. "We need the world's support and understanding and patience. They have to help us ban poverty, to have a better education in the country, and find employment for people, and to help our security situation."

Yesterday, Pakistani police arrested more than 30 Islamic militants, including alledged Al Qaeda members, in raids in Faisalabad and Lahore. Meanwhile, the government this week announced it has deported hundreds of foreign students this month from religious schools, seen as recruiting grounds for Islamic militant groups.

In his ongoing crackdowns, President Pervez Musharraf is walking a thin line between restoring order and violating civil liberties. On one hand, he is criticized for failing to strike terrorist groups hard enough. On the other side, he is criticized by civil libertarians and mainstream political parties for restricting political-party activity and rallies in the run-up to national elections this fall.

Implementing these often-contradictory goals will require a new vision for what Pakistan should become.

"The challenge that we are facing in Pakistan is choosing whether we are moving toward becoming a theocracy or becoming a liberal democracy," says Afrasiab Khattak, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Peshawar. "These people who are striking against the state are using violence, but the state should not violate the law itself, because that can breed more violence."

Compounding the difficulty of Musharraf's efforts are the advantages that a small band of terrorists can have against a global superpower and its friends. While Pakistan has all the tools of the state to crush terrorism, the terrorists merely have to lie low and choose a few high-profile targets. This makes them look more powerful and numerous than they are, and inflicts painful wounds on the Pakistani state's image of control.

For his part, Haider says that Pakistan does have a vision for itself, set out by Pakistan's founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. "We believe in moderate Islam, not in political Islam," says Haider.

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