Over the last year the news from Pakistan has just got more and more grim. The bomb in Islamabad, that Ben Rogers wrote about earlier today, follows on the heels of countless other bombings, political strife and growing radicalism. Following the news, and talking to Pakistani friends about the situation, has become more and more depressing.
I am finding it harder and harder to conceive of scenario in which the Pakistani situation gets markedly better. By contrast, it is very easy to envision things getting much worse, a lurch towards extremism or chaos. The new president, unfortunately, doesn't really seem to inspire anyone. Sadly, the best hope might be that the forces that work to maintain the status quo, such as the army, will hold things together and prevent a serious worsening of the situation.
I'm not sure what Britain can do to help and interference could easily make things worse. Thanks to having troops in Afghanistan, many people of Pakistani descent living here and other historical ties to the country we have much at stake in Pakistan. It might be that what we really need is some robust contingency plans so that if things really go wrong we can safeguard our interests.
