"The Musharraf government did not want to alienate these groups," he said.

The kidnappers were no doubt eager to secure media attention to embarrass the Musharraf government.

Soon after the killing, many of Bhutto's supporters believed that the Musharraf government was involved in the assassination.

There is more work to be done, the Pakistanis know that, and we are engaged with the Musharraf government to ramp up the fight.

Without some tangible benefits like those, there is a question of how long the Musharraf government can continue to mobilize public opinion behind its antiterrorism policies.

Some analysts argue that the militants are also taking advantage of political tensions created by the Musharraf government, particularly in Karachi.

But if this is planned, it is clear that the Musharraf government will run into stiff opposition from Lashkar.

If these charges gain currency, they could undermine the government of President Pervez Musharraf.

In January 2002 the government of President Pervez Musharraf banned the group.

The attempts by the military government of President Pervez Musharraf to curb them in the months since then are seen as largely ineffective.