A forthcoming visit by the new British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to Pakistan comes at yet another delicate moment in relations between the West and President Pervez Musharraf, according to a BBC News article.| Didja ever notice that when they get one of these important furriners come visitin' they usually manage to bang a Key Aide™ or somebody of similar stature?... You did?... It's that obvious, is it?... And I thought I was so smart... |
Musharraf counters that he is acting against terrorism throughout Pakistan, doing so most recently when he ordered troops to storm Lal Masjid occupied by Islamic militants in Islamabad. The current point at issue is the future of the agreement he reached with tribal leaders in North Waziristan last year under which the areas would be policed largely by the tribes themselves. A US National Intelligence Estimate on the threat to the US homeland from Al Qaeda issued last week concluded that this policy had not worked, “We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including a safe haven in FATA, operational lieutenants, and its top leadership.”