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Pak army 'split' on their chief's decision

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf depends on the Army for his survival but is the military fully behind him on his decision to impose Emergency in the country?From Field Marshal Ayub Khan to General Zia ul Haq and now Musharraf—all dictators in Pakistan have captured power using the army. But this is the first time that the interests of the man at the top diverge from that of the men in khaki.“There is a great resentment (in the army). What is the need of this emergency, which is close to emergency?” says General (retired) Talat Masood.There seems little doubt that Musharraf's war on terror in the tribal lands of the North West Frontier Province is not to the liking of a section of the army. Close to 25 percent of the rank and file in Pakistan’s army are Pashtuns who belong to this area and will not turn their guns on their own people. The Pashtun officer corps is around 22 per cent.Opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto says the army’s unity is under threat. “Some people tell us that the unity of the army has been undermined by the war in the frontier. There are reports circulating that the imposition of martial law has had an adverse effect on the military and they feel they should get out of politics. We hear many reports that junior commanders are dismayed by the imposition of martial law,” says Bhutto.Former officers like General Masood believe that the army will not come out openly against Musharraf. More likely he will be politely advised to rescind unpopular directives or asked to go into peaceful retirement.
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