MANILA — Pakistan's near political chaos, the result of President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of martial law last year and the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has had a tsunami-like impact across Southeast Asia. Should Musharraf's government backslide even more on its commitments to restore parliamentary democracy, Pakistan's crisis would not only be exacerbated but it also might begin to infect the wider region.
At direct stake today is Pakistan's future, a future that may determine the political fates of neighboring countries that are also struggling with violent Islamic fundamentalism.
Will Pakistan be dragged along the path of Islamic extremism and emergency rule, or finally achieve modernity as a secular nation under civilian leadership?