Pakistan - Torn in Two

As the US-led was getting ready to strike out against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf made it clear that he endorsed the campaign.

Pakistan says it has seen sufficient evidence provided by US investigators to allow an indictment of Osama bin Laden but has no intention of sharing the proof with the Taliban. It has also stated however, that it will not join any hostile action against the Taliban. Moreover, the Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan has warned Musharraf that any aid to the US will reason enough for the Taliban to call a war on the country.

Pakistan's support for the US-led campaign has led to violent street protests all over the country. Protesters say the campaign against Afghanistan is an attack against Islam and not the Taliban alone. Other Pakistanis, however, are urging Afghanistan to hand-over Osama bin Laden. Some analysts fear a civil war could engulf Pakistan.

Anti-American demonstrations

After the US started their campaign against the Taliban, anti-US demonstrators brandished placards of Osama bin Laden and shouted "Death to America" in several cities. Pakistani police opened fire on them. Other protesters denounced Pakistan's military leader General Pervez Musharraf, saying: "Musharraf is a dog", a major insult in the Muslim world.

The demonstrations got violent after protestors began to fire shots from rooftops and set several buildings ablaze. Stones were thrown at the Pakistani militia. In retaliation, police in anti-riot gear used teargas and batons to control the unruly crowds. Dozens of people have already been killed in the protests.

Many of the demonstrators are of Pashtun origin. The Taliban draws its greatest support from the Pashtun group: in Afghanistan, more than 40 percent of the 21 million-strong population are Pashtun. The Pashtuns traditionally live in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. For them, the border between the two countries is something artificial - created in colonial times by the British. A large number of these tribespeople have crossed the border into Pakistan seeking refuge.

Pakistan

- History and Geography

Pakistan borders the Arabian Sea and lies with India to its east and Iran and Afghanistan to its west. The heavily populated country gained its independence from colonial India in 1947.

India is predominantly Hindu while Pakistan is 97 percent Muslim. In 1971, East Pakistan violently fought to become the separate nation of Bangladesh. It suffers from an ongoing dispute with India over the state of Kashmir and the sharing of water from the Indus River.

After these political conflicts and particularly the costly confrontation with neighboring India, Pakistan itself is destitute. Today it suffers from internal political disputes and lack of foreign investment.