Challenges for Pakistani coalition after Musharraf resignation

The new governing civilian coalition that engineered the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf faces some tough challenges following Musharraf's resignation, political analysts said Monday, chief among them the deteriorating economy and the continued threat from a resurgent Taliban. "I think the political leaders have no excuse now," said Rasul Baksh Rais, a political analyst who teaches politics at Lahore University of Management Sciences. "They have to address the immediate issues like inflation and the long-term structural problems of Pakistani polity. They can't use Musharraf as an excuse any more." Rais said the departure of Musharraf was a "great moment and a great change." "It is a change about the democratic spirit and transition, and the establishment of constitutionality," he said. But he stressed that it would also... [read full story]