The World's Toughest Job

Yet Western goodwill is at the core of the Pakistani President's great gamble. "I'm thinking of Musharraf very much in terms of Anwar Sadat 30 years ago," says a senior U.S. official, recalling the Egyptian President who first made peace with Israel. "That's both because of the boldness of what he's doing and because of the enormous risk he's taking. No doubt people are gunning for him." For Sadat, it didn't turn out well: he was killed in 1981 by Islamic militants now connected with the al-Qaeda network. These dangerous days Musharraf is no longer likely to show up, as he has in the past, with little fanfare at Islamabad restaurants to dine with his family. Already there is talk of fatwas, or religious orders, calling for Musharraf's death. The general has been put under heavy security, and his public appearances have been curtailed.

Last week Musharraf called on Washington to keep military operations against Afghanistan "short and targeted." He told Pakistanis he had "definite assurances" the visible part of the campaign, broadcast in night-lit explosions over Afghan cities, would end quickly, "in one or two days" if possible. While President Bush voiced sympathy for Musharraf's desire to calm protests, he denied that Pakistan received any such guarantees. "I don't know who told the Pakistani President that," Bush said. Allied spokesmen reiterated that the campaign could take weeks, even years. Other officials who have heard Musharraf's pleas that a long conflict could jeopardize his control say the Pakistani leader was voicing what he wanted to hear. Under the circumstances, no one could blame him for wanting his current trial over as quickly as possible.