Islamabad: Checkmated at home by the year-long stalemate over his constitutional powers and pressed hard by the international community to crackdown on foreign and domestic militant groups, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf completes four years at the helm on October 12 by barely managing to stave off a serious challenge to his rule mounted by political parties.

In contrast to the popularity earlier enjoyed by him in the international community for his commitment to crackdown on al-Qaida, Taleban and 'jihadi' groups at home after 9/11, Musharraf now appears to be coming under increasing pressure from the international community to crackdown hard on the resurgence of Taleban on the Pak-Afghan borders and 'jihadi' groups on the line of control.

Unlike in 2002, Pakistan has now been accused of encouraging cross border terrorism both by India and Afghanistan. Also, Musharraf, who had two crucial meetings with US President George W Bush in less than four months in 2003, faces pressure to send Pakistani troops to Iraq to help the US forces stabilise the volatile political and military situation there.

With domestic public and political opinion firmly opposing, Musharraf is in a quandary on sending troops to Iraq and hopes for a United Nations or Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) resolution to provide some kind of mandate to commit troops.

On October 12, General Musharraf's rule enters the crucial fifth year without effective resolution of political stalemate or a timeframe to cleanse Pakistan of any foreign and domestic militant groups, while he appears to have exhausted all avenues to stabilise his rule.

The deadlock on the political front is expected to continue, with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali saying that his government will continue to hold the sittings of the Parliament without the presence of Opposition.

He cited the example of Bangladesh Parliament, where the government is functioning despite the boycott by the Opposition.

Life has not been same for Musharraf after he held polls at the end of his three year military rule in October 2002, as the pro-military government headed by Jamali failed to end the deadlock over the legality of his Presidency and his constitutional amendments, which greatly eroded the General's legitimacy and power base.

Contrary to expectations before the 2002 polls that a friendly and pliable democratic set up would be in place, almost all the political parties united to oppose Musharraf's continuation as President and Chief of Army, declining to budge despite year-long efforts to break their backs with heavy pressure from the intelligence and security agencies.

Parties like the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) headed by self-exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, which won 80 seats in the National Assembly in 2002 was reduced to around 50 seats later, as its elected members defected to government ranks under pressure to support Jamali.

But despite this, the government's efforts to see the Opposition accept Musharraf's constitutional amendments has not materialised.

PTI