London:
International worries over Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into the hands of the Taliban appeared premature, a leading London-based think tank said on Tuesday.
"The serious challenges that nuclear-armed Pakistan faced, including the spread of violent Islamist militancy, had broader strategic implications," said Dr John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
"However, the cohesion of its large army remained a powerful stabilising factor. International worries over nuclear weapons falling into the hands of the Taliban, or of Pakistan becoming a failed state, appeared premature," he told reporters while releasing the 'Strategic Survey 2009, The Annual Review of World Affairs'.
The survey said long-running "political wrangles within the Pakistani establishment seemed likely to continue as the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the opposition Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N differed over changes to the seventeenth amendment to the constitution, which provides for an executive president and a titular prime minister.
"Zardari showed no sign of giving up executive power by voting to repeal the amendment, even though the parties had promised in a joint charter in 2006 to rectify the imbalance between the powers of the president and prime minister."
It said General Kayani, who succeeded Gen Pervez Musharraf as army chief in November 2007, "continued to play a powerful but discreet role".
"The serious challenges that nuclear-armed Pakistan faced, including the spread of violent Islamist militancy, had broader strategic implications," said Dr John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
"However, the cohesion of its large army remained a powerful stabilising factor. International worries over nuclear weapons falling into the hands of the Taliban, or of Pakistan becoming a failed state, appeared premature," he told reporters while releasing the 'Strategic Survey 2009, The Annual Review of World Affairs'.
The survey said long-running "political wrangles within the Pakistani establishment seemed likely to continue as the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the opposition Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N differed over changes to the seventeenth amendment to the constitution, which provides for an executive president and a titular prime minister.
"Zardari showed no sign of giving up executive power by voting to repeal the amendment, even though the parties had promised in a joint charter in 2006 to rectify the imbalance between the powers of the president and prime minister."
It said General Kayani, who succeeded Gen Pervez Musharraf as army chief in November 2007, "continued to play a powerful but discreet role".
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