March 25, 2004

CAIRO, Egypt — A tape purportedly recorded by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No. 2 in the Al Qaeda terror group, called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a traitor Thursday and urged people to get rid of his government.

The audiotape was broadcast by the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera.

The speaker, who sounded like al-Zawahiri, also called for a military uprising in Pakistan.

"Musharraf seeks to stab the Islamic resistance in Afghanistan in the back," the speaker said.

"Every Muslim in Pakistan should work hard to get rid of this agent government, which will continue to submit to America until it destroys Pakistan."

The tape comes as Pakistani troops are in the second week of a campaign along the Afghan border in South Waziristan, a longtime hiding place and stronghold of Islamic militants from Al Qaeda, Afghanistan's Taliban and their Pakistani supporters.

After Musharraf spoke hopefully of capturing a "high-value target," there was speculation that al-Zawahiri might be in the rugged border area where local tribes have more power than the Pakistani federal government.

The speaker appeared to be referring to the conflict in South Waziristan when he said, "I call on the Pakistani army: you, poor army, what a miserable state Musharraf has put you in ... Musharraf ruins your natural fences — those tribes on the border — by engaging you in a fight with them. Then he removes your nuclear weapons. Will you stay silent until Pakistan is divided again?"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,115210,00.html