Swat peace agreement collapses

Mullah Fazlullah, Sufi's son-in-law isn't your run of the mill Taliban leader. He's sponsored numerous suicide attacks, beheadings and other acts of terror. He actively opposes polio vaccinations for children, claiming the shots are designed to sterilize the Muslim people. And he's a senior deputy in Baitullah Mehsud's unified Pakistani Taliban movement. Sufi has openly sided with the Taliban during negotiations and after the cease fire was implemented.

Another point Haqqani is glossing over: the agreement actually is being enforced. (before actually signed by the President) The government established the sharia courts on March 15, the date the Taliban and the TNSM demanded. Sufi hand-selected the judges. The Taliban shut down the secular court system and continued to attack the security forces. The government willfully papered over these incidents in an effort to keep the agreement alive.

Here’s what I mean when I say that the shorthand about Pakistan is based on an assumption that Pakistan is unable to change. Pakistanis went to the polls on February 18, 2008. They elected a leadership that ran on the platform saying that fighting terrorism is our first priority. They elected the party of someone who was killed by terrorists for standing up against terrorism. So the people of Pakistan, quite clearly, have a preference for fighting terrorism.

Immediately after winning the election, the Pakistani government cut peace deals with the Taliban throughout the tribal areas and the Northwest Frontier Province. Many of us don’t take that as a strong commitment to fight terrorism.