WITH the government increasingly relying on draconian measures to suppress the lawyers-cum-opposition long march for the restoration of the deposed judges, its image abroad as a democratic administration is getting tarnished. That major powers are highly perturbed over the turmoil can be realized from worried telephone calls by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and President Obama's special envoy Richard Holbrooke to President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and Mian Nawaz Sharif. US Ambassador Anne W Patterson has meanwhile been shuttling between government and opposition leaders that include PM's Interior Advisor Rehman Malik, PML(Q) chief Ch Shujaat and the Sharif brothers. Mr Holbrooke and Ambassador Patterson have also held a teleconference with President Zardari. What has perturbed Islamabad's Western friends is that the ongoing confrontation would badly affect the War On Terror, a view shared by Pakistan's former officials like Brig (retd) Mahmud Durrani. There is also concern about the highly negative fallout of the confrontation on Pakistan's stability and economy. Concerns of the sort are widely shared by the western media and rights organizations, who are critical of the instances of violation of free association and speech by the government. Practically all major US and British newspapers have highlighted the harsh treatment meted out to the lawyers and political activists. The New York Times, Washington Post, International Harold Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Guardian and Independent have extensively covered the first day of the long march highlighting police high-handedness. Unfavourable comparisons were drawn with measures like raids of opposition activists' houses, mass arrests, and baton charges to disperse peaceful protestors under Gen (retd) Musharraf after he imposed a virtual martial law under the name of Emergency. One of the papers, which called Mr Zardari an "accidental" President, blamed him for mishandling the situation. Pictures appearing in the foreign media of police action are bound to present the image of a repressive regime rather than a democratic government. Any prolongation of the political turmoil is bound to affect Pakistan's vital interests. On Thursday US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan legislation to cut off military aid unless US officials are allowed to question Dr A.Q. Khan. Whatever the result of the ongoing confrontation, the government would emerge much weaker in days to come. The virtual overthrow of the popularly elected Punjab government which enjoyed the trust of the provincial assembly, the disqualification of President Zardari's major political opponents and forcible suppression of peaceful protests would make the task of President Obama difficult in seeking for the PPP-led government the democracy dividend it is relying upon to bolster a sick economy.