Al Qaeda supporters rallying against Musharraf?

AP/NY Times:

Hundreds of Islamists chanting slogans against Pakistan's military leader rallied outside the Supreme Court on Friday as judges heard petitions challenging President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's right to run for re-election.

Musharraf, meanwhile, appointed a new intelligence chief and promoted five other army generals in a shake-up just days after signaling he would resign from the military if he wins a new five-year term as president.

Opposition parties, who claim it would be illegal for Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, to contest the vote, staged street protests across Pakistan, but the turnout was low in most major cities.

In Islamabad, about 1,000 flag-waving supporters of Pakistan's biggest religious party, Jamaat-e-Islami, gathered outside the grand, white marble court house, shouting ''Go, Musharraf, Go!'' They were joined by supporters of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

''We will not tolerate Musharraf. We will continue our campaign against him,'' lawmaker Hanif Abbasi told protesters. ''We will not tolerate him in or out of uniform.''

Scores of police with riot gear blocked the road in front of the court and surrounded the rally. After several hours, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

In the eastern city of Multan, about 400 people rallied and burned a portrait of Musharraf. In Karachi, police detained about a dozen opposition supporters to foil a planned protest. Only a few dozen people rallied in Quetta, Peshawar and Lahore.

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Was it a coincidence that only yesterday Osama and Zawahiri were calling on Islamist to overthrown Musharraf? It is curious that AP buried that aspect out of the demos, but they did indicate that in many areas they were a flop.

The change in the head of the ISI is also interesting. Perhaps he put someone in charge who really is interested in going after the Islamic religious bigots who are planning mass murder from Pakistan. The changes in the army are probably needed too. It has performed poorly against people that have been easily routed by US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.