When your security services work hand in hand with terrorists, what chance do Pakistanis have ?

For many years it has been known that the Pakistani Security Services (the ISS) have been working with Islamist groups, many often loosely allied to The Taliban, to fight a proxy war against India in Kashmir. The ISS too has had been the chief arms supplier and trainer of The Taliban up until six years ago, and according to some observers, this is still going on covertly.

So given the close relationship with these groups, how can the ISS provide security in Pakistan from Islamic terrorists ?

Obviously, as today's shock events highlight, they can't. The death of Benazir Bhutto is a tragedy for Pakistan, and a disaster for the whole region, as despite her faults, she was a democrat, and the terrorists wish to silence the democrats and see Pakistan become another extremist hot spot.

The problem thought for General Musharraf is that he too is impotent to do anything about the ISS and Islamists. He waited too long to take action against them and has allowed them to be seen by some as a legitimate means of opposing his military government. By opposing democracy for so long he invited people to take up arms.

So what future for Pakistan now ? A bleak one I fear, but unlike other failing states, Pakistan is a nuclear power, and this has got to be a concern for everyone.