Pakistan Is Unsure On Fighting Al Qaeda And The Taliban

Coffins on sale are seen next to a road in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Pakistan Divided On Fighting Taliban And Al Qaeda
-- International Herald Tribune

ISLAMABAD: An unusual parliamentary debate designed to forge a Pakistani policy on how to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda has exposed deep ambivalence about the militants, even as their reach extends to suicide attacks in the capital.

Calls for dialogue with the Taliban, peppered with opposition to fighting what is perceived as an American war, dominated the closed-door sessions, according to participants.

After seven years of military rule under General Pervez Musharraf, the new civilian government initiated the debate in an effort to convince the public and the political parties of the necessity of the war against the militants. Musharraf - who had been both head of the army and president, as well as an important ally of the Bush administration - never consulted Parliament.

The new president, Asif Ali Zardari, pledged a strong effort by Pakistan against terrorism during his visit to Washington earlier this month, and stressed the contrast between his civilian rule and that of his military predecessor.

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My Comment: Many in Pakistan's elite have no desire to continue the war against the Taliban. This lack of interest will only make the problem worse.