A Risky Feud; A war of words with Pakistan's president only underscores how dangerously weakened Afghanistan has become.

Byline: Ron Moreau, Zahid Hussain and Sami Yousafzai

Summit meetings are meant to improve relations. But two recent high-level confabs--one in February between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart, Pervez Musharraf, and the other U.S. President George W. Bush's trip to Islamabad earlier this month--have had the opposite effect. For the cameras, both looked like the usual well-scripted, feel-good affairs--but in fact they've laid bare a serious rift between Afghanistan and Pakistan, America's two key allies in the global war on terror.

With the Taliban staging a gradual resurgence in Afghanistan, Karzai has been sniping at Musharraf for months, charging that the Pakistani president is not doing enough to defeat armed radicals who hide out and train along the rugged Afghanistan-Pakistan border. More important, Karzai apparently won Bush over to his skeptical point of view during his brief visit to Kabul prior to the U.S. president's arrival in Islamabad. "After Bush's visit, Afghan officials were very happy and confident," says Pakistani author and Afghan expert Ahmed Rashid. "The Americans privately came down on Karzai's side." Indeed, Musharraf seemed visibly shaken when he stood beside the U.S. president at their March 4 joint press conference and heard Bush say that he had come to Islamabad "to determine whether or not the president is as committed as he has been in the past" to the war on terror. According to Pakistani officials, Bush essentially lectured his host on the need to get tougher on the Taliban. "Musharraf got a big rap on the knuckles from Bush for not doing enough," confirms Rashid.

Musharraf was quick to lash back. After Bush left Islamabad, he blasted Karzai in a --CNN interview, lambasting the Afghan leader for being "totally oblivious" to what was going on in Pakistan. Musharraf also said recent intelligence supplied by Kabul to Pakistan, including phone numbers and the whereabouts of Taliban officials, was "outdated," "nothing" and "nonsense." He advised Karzai to put his own house in order before criticizing Pakistan.

Whether or not Karzai's complaints are valid, his constant criticism of Musharraf is a risky move. A prolonged feud could hurt Pakistan, jeopardizing its large aid package from America. But Afghanistan might be crippled if the quarrel gets out of hand. An alienated Musharraf could make life easier for the guerrillas, and Afghanistan can ill afford to lose Pakistan's crucial economic and military support. The landlocked country's economy is weak and heavily dependent on trade and skilled laborers from Pakistan. Some 60,000 Pakistanis work in Afghanistan, among them 10,000 people who cross the border daily. Afghanistan's few legal exports, such as vegetables and fruits, largely go to its southern neighbor; its crucial imports--including food, construction materials and other essential supplies--come from there. "Our economic situation is not strong enough to survive a serious dispute with Pakistan," admits a senior Afghan diplomat. As things stand now, the feud's only beneficiaries could be the Taliban, who in recent months have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan. "We are enjoying and benefiting from this fight," Mansoor, a Taliban activist and former minister, told NEWSWEEK. "May it continue, God willing."

Taliban pressure, in fact, is what pushed Karzai to speak out. Since last summer, there have been some 25 suicide bombings in ...