However the tempestuous politics of Pakistan play out, one thing is certain. General Pervez Musharraf can no longer claim any legitimacy to lead his country. His approval rating is just over 20 per cent, most Pakistanis do not want him to be president again and the Supreme Court was expected to declare his candidacy illegal before he threw the judges out. He may be able to rig elections due in the new year but he and his regime will fail to win popular support.
That is a problem for Pakistan's security. As the past eight years have shown, Gen Musharraf will not dismantle jihadi infrastructure nor will he allow moderate political parties to push back against Islamists in the political arena. The military has backed the religious right for decades; those Gen Musharraf really fears are the moderates he has locked up since imposing martial law on November 3.
