An opportunity that Pakistan missed -by Sandeep Dikshit: Leaked secret cables from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, just after the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai, reveal a more complex narrative than that chronicled so far. The Pakistan government was willing to work with India; New Delhi

Talat Masood: Revisiting the Swat deal with the Taliban: Revisiting the Swat deal Monday, March 23, 2009 Talat Masood The Swat peace agreement, signed between the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) and the ANP-led government of the NWFP, seems to be running in serious difficulties. Broadly, the agreement aims at

Swat Peace Deal with Taliban: Questions which ANP must answers: Swat Peace Deal with Taliban: Questions which ANP must answers By: Ahfaz-ur-Rehman, Daily Express, 1 March 2009

Militants in Swat: Can we negotiate with them from a position of weakness?: No, a thousand times no! Tuesday, 24 Feb, 2009 Taliban militants holds several men prisoner in Swat in this file photo. – Reuters YOU never negotiate from a position of weakness: not in business; not in banking; not while

Two divergent perspectives on the Swat deal with Taliban – by Kamal Siddiqi and Ansar Abbasi: Two perspectives on the Swat agreement with Taliban. The first one is by a pro-Taliban right-wing journalist Ansar Abbasi. The second op-ed by Kamal Siddiqi offers a critical, dialectical analysis of the situation on ground.

ANP deal with TNSM in Swat: A critical perspective: Can ANP afford to offer more sacrifices against a ruthless enemey (ISI-Taliban allaince)?

The ISI forges the Taliban alliance in Waziristan against the war on terror…: Top militant commanders resolve rift Saturday, February 21, 2009 By Mushtaq Yusufzai Mullah Nazir Baitullah Mehsud PESHAWAR: In a dramatic development, three prominent Pakistani militant commanders — Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazeer ñ on Friday set

Rahimullah Yusufzai: Swat: signs that inspire hope: Swat deal raises questions about the definition and concept of sharia to be implemented.— Reuters/File Photo Swat: signs that inspire hope Saturday, February 21, 2009 by Rahimullah Yusufzai Maulana Sufi Mohammad has once again been tasked to perform a

‘Pakistan had no choice but make a deal in Swat’ – Rahimullah Yusufzai: Sheela Bhatt in New DelhiFebruary 19, 2009 “Zameeni haqeeat alag hain. Swat ke log to aman aane se bahut khush hai! (The ground realties are different. The people of Swat valley are very happy to have peace!),” Rahimullah Yusufzai,

Amir Mir: Peace deal in Swat a high-risk affair: Govt-TNSM deal a high-risk affair Tuesday, February 17, 2009 By Amir Mir LAHORE: Islamabad’s decision to sign a peace deal with the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi by enforcing the ‘Sharai Nizam-e-Adl Regulation’ in the Malakand division of the NWFP,

Swat deal: an act of desperation? – Nasim Zehra: Swat deal: an act of desperation?Wednesday, February 18, 2009Nasim Zehra The writer is an Islamabad-based security analyst Given the circumstances that have prompted the government to enter into a peace deal with Maulvi Sufi Muhammad of the TNSM and

Dialogue with Taliban not an option – Farhat Taj: Dialogue with Taliban not an option Friday, February 06, 2009by Farhat Taj I wanted a reply to my email from Masooda Bano to have a better idea of her argument for dialogue with Taliban. She provided the idea through

"Peace in Swat was destroyed due to agreements signed by Awami National Party (ANP) with militants.": Dialogue with Taliban? Amir Muqam blames ANP for Swat chaosUpdated at: 1830 PST, Wednesday, February 04, 2009 (The News) PESHAWAR: PML-Q leader Amir Muqam said Wednesday that peace in Swat was destroyed due to agreements signed by Awami National

Jirga to nowhere – by Rahimullah Yusufzai: Saturday, November 01, 2008 It was obvious from the beginning that the Pak-Afghan Joint Peace Jirga, which held its inaugural session with much fanfare in August 2007 in Kabul and its much-delayed sequel recently in Islamabad on October 27-28,

Talking peace with militants in Tribal Areas: Let us not hurry into another appeasement. Khalid Aziz: Talking peace with militantsTuesday, October 21, 2008by Khalid Aziz Since April of this year the military changed the method of fighting the insurgency in FATA and the NWFP. Prior to ‘Operation Zalzala,’ which was conducted in the Mahsud area

Taliban are under pressue; no need to negotiate with them now.: Taliban are clearly under pressure from both sides of the border. Particularly on the Pakistani side of the border, there are clear signs that Taliban are fast losing the support of ordinary citizens including Pashtuns in the tribal area.

Talking to the Taliban: Implications for Pakistan: The talk in Afghanistan of sitting down with the Afghan Taliban and thrashing out a solution to the conflict is now overt. To nudge the initiative forward, the Governor of NWFP, Mr Owais Ghani, has reiterated his earlier stance

Talking to Mullah Umar and Hekmatyar?: The NWFP Governor, Mr Owais Ghani, has asked the United States “to talk to Mullah Omar, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaluddin Haqqani, to negotiate peace in Afghanistan”. His contention is that “political stability will only come to Afghanistan when all