Taliban pull back to Swat?

Washington Post:

Taliban officials, facing a wave of international criticism and intense pleading from the Pakistani government, said Friday they would pull back from northwest Pakistan district they had entered days earlier. But some hardliners vowed not to leave the Buner district until strict Islamic law is introduced there.

The conflicting messages underscored the volatility of the situation in this nuclear-armed nation, where Islamists are consolidating their power in some remote areas and threatening to wrest control of other regions from the secular, democratically elected government.

...

The Taliban in Pakistan have demonstrated that their word is no good. Any pull back is just a tactical retreat that is convenient to the Taliban and the government while resolving nothing. It is still not clear that this government has the stomach to stop these religious bigots who want to impose their weird beliefs on everyone within their reach. That the government would even consider at deal with them that would permit the cruel and unusual punishments of Shari'a Law raises questions about their commitment to the rule of law.

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