The Pakistani arena is witnessing a sharp conflagration on two interwoven tracks that run in tandem: the action by the so-called Pakistani Taliban on one side, and that mounted by the Pakistani army on the other. The latter is unfolding in the volatile and relatively inaccessible South Waziristan Tribal region, which is increasingly viewed as the ‘epicenter’ of a growing insurgency. The upsurge in ‘terror’ and the ‘campaign against terror’ brings an end to the short-lived post-Swat ‘pause’ that had signified a ‘closing of the ranks’ by various players in the arena. This coincides with what is seen as a ‘greater play’ in the new US strategy for the so-called Af-Pak region and the controversies it has generated in Pakistani body-politic. The scenario also serves as a reminder of the extent of the eight-year Afghan war’s growing impact on Pakistan. What began in the year 2001 as a limited American anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan now carries the potential of a spreading regional conflict.
The Pakistani arena is witnessing a sharp conflagration on two interwoven tracks that run in tandem: action by the so-called Pakistani Taliban, and that mounted by the Pakistani army which is unfolding in the volatile and relatively inaccessible South Waziristan Tribal region.