Pakistan terrorism may be hard to tackle

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Last week’s deadly blasts in Karachi have raised questions whether any leader can contain terrorism in Pakistan, The Christian Science Monitor reported.

The bombings, which occurred during the homecoming of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, killed more than 130 people. Prior to her return, Bhutto had vowed to fight the Islamic militants in the restive tribal regions of the country.

Some experts doubt if any Pakistani leader or the military can resolve the problem in the short term, the newspaper reported Monday.

The report said the setbacks President Pervez Musharraf’s military has suffered in the tribal areas -- where the terrorist groups have regrouped -- show even the army may be ill-suited to tackle the growing threat.

Moeed Yusuf, with a think tank in Islamabad, told the Monitor, “If this continues, the Army will tone it down because there will be too many losses.”

Other experts say the United States, which considers the Musharraf government an ally in the war against terrorism, may have to lower its expectations of Pakistan.

“The Army officers have started realizing that this battle is not worth the cost,” Harvard’s Hassan Abbas told the newspaper.

But Yusuf warned Pakistan's future threat won’t be from neighboring India but from internal forces which may go on for years.