Pakistan: Arabic satellite television broadcast an audio tape, yesterday, purporting to come from al-Qaeda leader Mr Ayman al-Zawahri, in which he urged Pakistanis to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf for "betraying" Islam.
The speaker on the tape, which was aired by al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya channels, also urged Muslims around the world to fight what Mr al-Zawahri called the Christian-Zionist crusade "aimed at eradicating Islam and Muslims".
It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the tape. It is the latest in a series of audio and video tapes released to the media since the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States, for which Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda is widely blamed.
The voice on the tape berated the Pakistani president for aiding the United States in its war in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and accused him of planning to send Muslim troops to Iraq "to be killed instead of American soldiers".
"Muslims in Pakistan must unite to oust this traitor and put in place a loyal leadership in Pakistan which defends Islam and Muslims," the speaker said.
Pakistani security forces have co-operated closely with US forces to hunt for bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members in border areas where many believe they are hiding.
Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, appeared with him in a video tape released earlier this month to mark the September 11th attacks.
The two men urged fighters to turn Iraq into a graveyard for US troops. - (Reuters)