When the smoke cleared from the fireworks set off by his supporters after presidential election, Pervez Musharraf was left with an even more explosive set of options, analysts say. The military ruler, bankrolled by Washington because of his support for the 'war on terror', cannot officially be declared the winner until the Supreme Court has ruled later this month on challenges to the vote.
The judges sit again on October 17, and Musharraf has several avenues by which he can try to remove final objections to Saturday's one-sided ballot by the national and provincial parliaments.
Should the court rule against him it will likely plunge the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic nation into chaos, with the one-time commando, who seized power in a 1999 coup, set to declare martial law. And when Pakistan suffers, the world suffers. Political turmoil distracts from Islamabad's military efforts in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, which US officials have pinpointed as al Qaeda's new base for launching international terror attacks. Yet if Musharraf is proclaimed the victor, Pakistan's future remains on a razor edge, with general elections scheduled by January 15, 2008 - and in Pakistan political differences are often resolved with Kalashnikovs.
Despite a vow to quit his military role after he wins, he would still face questions over his political legitimacy as the only army chief ever to be elected president in country's 60-year history.
"Musharraf has won his expected victory, but it certainly does not reduce the political uncertainty in the country," political analyst Nasim Zehra told AFP.
The step one for Musharraf is the Supreme Court - his nemesis since March when he sacked SC chief justice in a disastrous bid to avoid exactly the kind of challenge to his rule that he now faces. The first of the legal challenges against the vote - that he was ineligible to stand as army chief - he can get around by quitting the position as promised by November 15, the end of his current term, his aides say, she added.
The second is more tricky: a legal bar on government servants, including soldiers, from standing for political office within two years of quitting their jobs. Musharraf may try to push through an amendment in parliament to overturn this, aided by the opposition party of Benazir Bhutto, which is now on his side since he gave her an amnesty on corruption charges last week. Finally, the appeals argue that the presidential vote should have been carried out by a new parliament after the general election.
The solution to this, officials say, is to seek a vote of confidence from the new assemblies. Given these factors and the prevailing unrest, the court is unlikely to rule against him, analysts say.
"It would be a major surprise if the Supreme Court does not endorse his win," said Hasan Askari, the former head of political science at Punjab University, adding: "If the Supreme Court does not, there will be a very big crisis in the country."
A source close to the presidency said that Musharraf would likely introduce "surgical martial law" - presumably targeting certain institutions in a bid to minimise chaos - if the court rules against him. Musharraf has been on the verge of bringing in the tanks several times this year, not least amid a wave of violence sparked by a bloody government raid on Islamabad's al Qaeda-linked Red Mosque in July.
But if he is declared winner of the presidential poll Musharraf must quickly shore up his political position - meaning that all eyes are on Benazir's return from exile on October 18, the day after the court reconvenes.
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