(For more on Pakistan see [ID:nAFPAK]
By Zeeshan Haider
ISLAMABAD, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Pakistani police have arrested seven suspected militants accused of plotting to kill Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and several senior government figures.
The suspects arrested on Wednesday after a shootout near the city of Bahawalpur in the central province of Punjab are members of the Sunni Muslim militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is allegedly allied to al Qaeda.
Pakistan's lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan are regarded as safe havens for al Qaeda-linked militants drawn from all over the world.
Western security officials last month said they had foiled an alleged al Qaeda plot originating from Pakistan to attack European targets.
Here are some questions and answers on the strength and strategy of Pakistani militants allied to al Qaeda and Taliban.
WHAT IS THE MILITANTS' STRATEGY?
Militants such as al Qaeda and others thrive in chaos and ungoverned spaces. So attacks are part of a bloody campaign to topple the U.S.-backed Pakistani government, led by President Asif Ali Zardari and to take over the nuclear-armed state.
While this is highly unlikely to succeed, the government is unpopular and with their attacks, the militants are undermining any confidence the government might enjoy.
With the government on the back foot, militants are able to establish small territories and fiefdoms such as in North Waziristan and support the Afghan Taliban and run criminal enterprises, including drugs and gun running and kidnapping networks.
Security officials say the militants have stepped up attacks on "soft targets", like crowded markets, shrines and religious processions, in recent months after government tightened security for its main installations. More than 550 people have been killed in such attacks in the country this year.
If militants can create greater insecurity, sectarian conflict and terrify the populace, they would have the freedom to operate at will.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STRENGTH OF PAKISTANI MILITANTS?
The Pakistan military launched two major offensives against homegrown militants in the volatile northwest last year. Hundreds of militants were killed and many of their bases destroyed, but the insurgents have showed resilience.
Militants have killed hundreds of people in a wave of bomb and suicide attacks across the country. They have also attacked government leaders, pro-U.S. politicians and security officials.
These militants were blamed for the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. Former military President Pervez Musharraf survived at least two assassination attempts in 2003.
While there is no clear estimate of the militants' numbers across Pakistan, one leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Taliban Movement of Pakistan) said his group had about 18,000 members across the country. There is no way to verify his claim.
HOW DID MILITANCY START IN PAKISTAN?
Islamist militancy took roots in Pakistan in the 1980s when Pakistani intelligence agencies helped set up militant groups to fight the U.S.-backed war in Afghanistan against Soviet invasion.
Some of these groups later joined the Muslim insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
However, these militant groups became more powerful after they allied with al Qaeda and Taliban. Most of these groups operate from their safe havens in the northwest but security officials say militants drawn from Punjab, known as "Punjabi Taliban", are believed to have developed closer ties with al Qaeda and Taliban, representing a growing threat for Pakistan. (Editing by Chris Allbritton and Sugita Katyal)
(For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan.
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