South Block fears govt may not be able to stop implosion

Pakistan is heading back to army rule as the civilian government appears incapable of stopping the country’s slide into chaos. Though no one in the Indian government is publicly saying it, South Block is coming round to the view that the government may not be in a position to stop the implosion.

“It may be a matter of a few more attacks before the military takes over,” said an analyst in the Indian intelligence set-up, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Open challenge of the state is spreading across Pakistan. By venturing into Lahore and attacking the Sri Lankan cricket team, terrorists have proved that they can strike wherever they like, at whichever target they want to,” he said. “Punjab, especially Lahore, is supposed to have one of the finest counter-terrorist forces in Pakistan,” he pointed out. Despite tight security, the police were unable to prevent the attack on a visiting team though five policemen lost their lives defending the guests.

The former chief of an intelligence agency told DNA it is a ‘frightening scenario’. “The undermining of the state will have drastic fallouts in Pakistan. I fear a military takeover soon.”

Seema Guha, Josy Joseph & Amir Mir/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication