Pakistan agreed Monday to suspend military offensives and impose Islamic law in part of the restive northwest, making a gesture it hopes will help calm the Taliban insurgency while rejecting Washington’s call for tougher measures against militants.
A U.S. defense official called the deal “a negative development,” and some Pakistani experts expressed skepticism the truce would decrease violence. One human rights activist said the accord was “a great surrender” to militants.
Monday’s peace agreement applies to the Malakand region, which includes the former tourist destination of the Swat Valley, where extremists have gained sway by beheading people, burning girls schools and attacking security forces since a similar agreement broke down in August.
U.S. officials complained the earlier accord allowed militants to regroup and rearm and urged Pakistan’s government to concentrate on military solutions to the insurgency in the rugged frontier region, where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding.
Amir Haider Khan Hoti, chief minister in North West Frontier Province, said troops in Swat would remain there but stop offensive operations and go on “reactive mode,” retaliating only if attacked. He stressed they would not leave the valley until the militant threat was over.
Sounds like any troops in Afghanistan may have their problems compounded by this accord.
I can say that it is not going to help Pakistan or world, specially when I see many countries would be willing to help Pakistan to eradicate terrorists outfits from Pakistan.
Welcome Kaotuka…thank you for the visit…I think Pakistan is thinking only of themselves at this time…but that could come back to bite them later.
Given the fact that Pakistan had some involvement in the attack on India, you would think that they would be more willing to do something lest they get invaded. My guess is that they don’t want to be seen as being pushed around by the US and would rather appease the masses than to do anything. Either that or their government is corrupt.
My money is on US and India jointly taking matter into their own hands. The reason that we would get involved is because the insurgents in Afghanistan are using Pakistan as a safe haven. There is no way that Afghanistan can be won without something being done about the insurgents hiding in Pakistan.
Morning Terrant….I have predicted that Pakistan would go in the crapper in 09…I think they are trying to avoid a poltical nightmare that is brewing…if the US keeps killing civilians it may be a moot point.
While I agree that there has been accidental deaths of civilians, I have to wonder if the US is causing as many as claimed. One thing about the Taliban and Al quaeda is that they are Machivellian in nature plus they have no qualms about killing civilians themselves. It would not surprise me one bit if they are doing some of this in order to get the local worked up at the US.
The one thing to remember is that the Taliban and al Qaeda are not the same thing al Qaeda wants to blow up the US the Taliban wants to blow up Afghanistan.
True, but they do have that “enemy of my enemy” type alliance going on.
If Massoud and the Northern Alliance were still alive we would have Osama by now and could be home…but we aloowed him to be assassinated the day before 9/11 because they knew he would be all over al Qaeda with the help of the US…and guess what? US intel missed the fact of his assassination all together.