The public and the international community also worry about security in Pakistan. By September 2, more than 3,200 had been killed in domestic terrorist attacks. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's motorcade was attacked on September 3. Suicide attacks have plagued the country since Musharraf's resignation in August, inflicting major casualties. On September 6, the day the presidential election was held, a police checkpoint in Peshawar, northwest frontier province, suffered a suicide car bomb attack that killed or injured more than 100 people. How to quickly reverse Pakistan's worsening economic and security situation is an issue that has a direct bearing on Zardari's political survival.

Stability is the key

For Zardari, support from the PML-N is crucial to political stability. The PML-N has been striving toward its goal of abolishing presidential powers and restoring full executive powers to the parliament. In a Senate speech on September 2, Gilani vowed to push for constitutional amendments. On September 5, Zardari also said he would respect the parliament's leading role, and he is likely to forge ahead with amending the constitution in a measured manner. In order to sustain the two parties' cooperation, Zardari has also announced that the PPP has no intention to subvert the PML-N's rule in Punjab.

The reinstatement of the judges fired by Musharraf last year was one of the prime reasons for the PML-N's withdrawal from the governing coalition last month. The PPP addressed the issue shortly before the presidential election to rein in antagonistic sentiments among legal professionals. On August 28, sacked judges from the Supreme Court and provincial high courts began returning to their posts. However, because Zardari failed to honor his promise, deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry could only be reinstated as an ordinary judge, sparking discontent among legal professionals. The potential judicial crisis will be one of the opposition's main weapons against Zardari.

The United States and Britain were quick in offering congratulations to Zardari on his election. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged Kayani to prevent terrorists from flowing across the border into Afghanistan at a meeting on August 26. On September 5, Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama called on the United States to increase pressure on Pakistan. At the National Defense University on September 9, President George W. Bush also said Pakistan has a responsibility to defeat Taliban terrorists and should not provide a safe haven for terror.

In a bid to mount pressure on Pakistan, the U.S. military recently launched attacks on Pakistan's tribal areas despite the Pakistanis' hostility toward the United States. Since early September, U.S. forces in Afghanistan have attacked Pakistan's tribal areas with missiles and armed helicopters, causing a number of local casualties. At the same time, the United States continues to provide assistance to Pakistan. Pakistan's state news agency reported on September 5 that the United States had reimbursed Pakistan $365 million for operations and logistical support in the war on terror. Zardari will be more determined to fight terrorism given the U.S. pressure and the rampant terrorist activities at home. He wrote in The Washington Post on September 4 that he would cooperate with the United States to ensure that Pakistan does not become a base for Al Qaeda and the Taliban to attack U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan.