Trouble in Pakistan

After a six-day siege at the fabled Red Mosque, Pakistani troops stormed in today, guns blazing, Islamic militants fighting and falling - in the heart of Pakistan's capital city.

From the US, it can look like just one more bloody day in a bloody part of the world. But Pakistan is different. It's the new base for Al Qaeda and the Taliban's Afghan resurgence. It's fully nuclear armed. And it's ruled by a military dictator backed by the United States who may be on the brink of falling like the Shah of Iran.

This hour On Point: big trouble in the country that could tear it all open — Pakistan.

Guests:

Shahan Mufti, reporter for The Christian Science Monitor

Adil Najam, Professor at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, columnist for The News International, an English-language newspaper in Pakistan, and founding editor of the blog pakistaniat.com

Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution, Senior Director for South Asian and Near East Affairs on the National Security Council from 1997 to 2001, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1995 to 1997.