A number of former Pakistani army generals, navy admirals and air force marshals staged a public rally in Rawalpindi last Tuesday, calling for Pervez Musharraf to resign as president of Pakistan. This demonstration was the follow-up to an Ex-Servicemen Society meeting held on January 22 in a Rawalpindi hotel.

The retired military officials at this meeting produced a four-point resolution that blamed Musharraf for Pakistan’s continuing turmoil and called for his resignation (Stratfor, January 24).

Authorities were reluctant to crack down on the demonstration because it was staged by retired distinguished former soldiers. Police action against such individuals could elicit a public backlash. “Can you imagine what will happen if the police attack and beat Pakistan’s greatest national heroes who saved the nation?” asked retired Army Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul.

The International Herald Tribunereported:

Some Pakistani analysts and Western diplomats believe the former generals, admirals and air marshals retain strong ties to their successors on active duty.While the military leadership remains loyal to Musharraf, the protests by retired servicemen point to deep fissures within the armed forces, which have supported Musharraf since he seized power in a military coup in 1999.

Pakistan’s military is its one unifying force, and the only force that could restore order to the state in the advent of tribal, terrorist and/or civil warfare. In effect, the real issue determining the future of Pakistani stability is not whether or not Musharraf remains president, but whether or not the army remains united.

A protest by former Pakistani military leaders is a good indication that there may be significant differences of opinion among military personnel. If the army were to fracture and some segments were to go over to the radical Islamic side, no Pakistani force exists that would be strong enough to halt the ensuing chaos.

You can be sure that Iran would look to exploit such a situation—and a nuclear Pakistan being infiltrated by Iran would be the worst of all worlds.

Watch Pakistan’s army. The future of that highly unstable nation hangs in the balance. For more information on the condition of Pakistan’s military, read “Pakistani Sympathy Grows for Pro-Taliban Militants” and editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s “Pakistan and the Shah of Iran.”