One will be perfectly justified in terming Musharraf's latest moves as the politics of expediency. Only days after the stinging rebuke Pakistan's Supreme Court gave the general on the matter of Chief Justice Iftekhar Muhammad Chaudhry and at a time when the SC prepares to deliberate on the issue of whether or not Musharraf gets to keep his army uniform as he tries to get re-elected as president, the general has some very real reasons why he needs Ms. Bhutto's support. The exiled former premier does not herself have much of a clean record, what with allegations of corruption and misgovernance dogging her two stints in office. The Musharraf regime has made much of her alleged corruption, even pursuing her by legal means abroad. But now, in a strange twist, all the old animosity appears to have taken a back seat as the president decides to explore every option that might allow him to keep his job. His worries are understandable. On the one hand, there is a sudden resurgence in terrorist activities in Pakistan, with scores of people already dead from the resultant violence. On the other, the clear threat by the Americans to go into action against al-Qaeda elements inside Pakistan has significantly eroded Musharraf's image, whatever he had of it, as a man who controlled the situation. To add to his misfortunes, internally his support base has considerably weakened.

The immediate future for politics in Pakistan remains uncertain. But there are clear lessons to be drawn from Musharraf's meeting with Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi, a prime one being that there comes a time when military rulers go bankrupt and are then forced to seek the support of their nemeses for their survival. All said and done, however, it remains a big question whether the army is ready to go along with the president in his wheeling and dealing with Ms. Bhutto. Is there any lesson for us in all this?