Sharif: The Wild Card
Much has been written on Benazir Bhutto but less on Nawaz Sharif, the man who the then General Musharraf ousted in 1999. In many ways, Sharif is the worst option for the West which would like to broker some kind of artificial and inherently unstable alliance between Bhutto and Musharraf. But the Pakistani people may see it otherwise.
PINR - Intelligence Brief: Musharraf Gains an Edge and Increases Chances for Survival
Unlike Bhutto, Sharif is popular in nationalist and religious circles, in addition to military and intelligence ones. This support derives from his previous rule as a religious conservative, which was demonstrated by his support for the Taliban in the 1990s, and for his popular decision to test a nuclear weapon and declare Pakistan as a nuclear power despite U.S. protestations.
These very factors which make him popular among Pakistanis make him somewhat of a wild card to the United States. For instance, his return to Pakistan was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, which has been a strong force behind Pakistan's Salafi/Wahhabi religious radicalism. Furthermore, one day after his return to Pakistan, Sharif said that the country should reassess its approach in the war on terrorism and consider meeting with militants in the North-West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
