Politics: Asia: Pakistan is no true ally

Samina Ahmed and Andrew Stroehlein reporting in Sunday's Washington Post outline just how far President Musharaff of Pakistan has reneged on his earlier promise to end the activities of extremist schools (madrasses) that breed the kind of bombers that ended up doing their dirty work in the London subways.

London on 7/7 shows that analysis was deadly wrong. Jihadi extremism is still propagated at radical madrasas in Pakistan. These religious schools still preach an insidious doctrine that foments the sectarian violence that is increasingly a threat to the stability of Pakistan. And now, it seems, the hatred these madrasas breed is spilling blood in Western cities as well.

Musharraf's promises came to nothing. His military government never implemented any program to register the madrasas, follow their financing or control their curricula. Although there are a few "model madrasas" for Western media consumption, the extremist ones account for perhaps as many as 15 percent of the religious schools in Pakistan and are free to churn out their radicalized graduates.

The journalists give an account as to why Musharraff has failed, and it boils down to his need of the sectarian religious parties of extremist orientation to retain his power over the political system of Pakistan. The whole situation bodes much ill for the world, not just Britain, not just Britain, the USA, and Canada, but for Europe as well, and the whole world. It's all a bit of a freakout, all over again, but must be faced. - Owlb