The fight against international terrorism cannot be won without demilitarising and deradicalising Pakistan. That’s what makes Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s latest move so worrisome.

Musharraf took power more than seven years ago in a military coup. Since then, national conditions have markedly worsened. A military dictatorship justified as essential for bringing stability has actually taken the country to the edge. Now, without drawing international attention, Musharraf has unveiled a plan that will make Pakistan’s greatly awaited elections a farce. Under this plan, the outgoing parliament and four provincial legislatures would “elect” him to a new five-year term as president in the fall, before he oversees national polls a few months later. Five years ago, Musharraf orchestrated another charade — a referendum — to extend his self-declared presidency.

Musharraf’s maneuver is the latest in a long series of broken promises to return his country to democracy. And it does not bode well for Pakistan’s central challenge: moving away from militarism, extremism, and fundamentalism, and toward a stable, moderate state.

Although the United States compelled Pakistan post-9/11 terrorist attacks to abandon the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and become an ally in the war on terrorism, that partnership has yielded dubious results. To be sure, Musharraf’s cooperation led to the capture of some Al Qaeda figures such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that he is unwilling or unable to crack down on the terrorist radicals in his midst. His foreign minister boasted that Pakistan had not handed “a single Pakistani” to America and that all the Al Qaeda men captured and transferred to United States authorities were foreigners.

Pakistan’s home-grown, Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militias continue to operate openly. Indeed Musharraf’s main benefactor, President Bush, said last week: “Taliban and Al Qaeda figures do hide in remote regions of Pakistan. This is a wild country; this is wilder than the Wild West.” The more power he usurps, the more dependent he becomes on his military and intelligence. That limits his ability to sever their cozy ties with extremist and terrorist elements.

Musharraf oils his dictatorship with generous American aid. Bush is too preoccupied with a self-created mess in Iraq to bother about the latest election shenanigan, especially when the Taliban resurgence has made the NATO use of Pakistani airspace even more vital for military operations in Afghanistan. Jihad culture is now deeply woven into Pakistan’s national fabric. Unraveling it won’t be easy. But it is essential.

Heavy-handed rule from Musharraf won’t eliminate Pakistan’s extremist elements. The development of a robust civil society — though painful in the short term — will aid democracy, marginalise radicals, and bring Pakistan back from the brink. Some may think that Musharraf’s scheme to stay enthroned is a necessary evil in the service of a greater good. That’s half right: It is evil, but it’s not necessary. The West needs to exert pressure on him to show real courage — and to bring real reform — by holding himself accountable to voters and making coming elections an honest affair. — The Christian Science Monitor