Taliban Deal Poses Threat to Pakistan
Shaukat Qadir, Ret. Pakistani Army Officer | April 29, 2009
After signing the Swat peace deal, Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari will go down in history as the man who succumbed to threats from terrorists, legitimized the Taliban's activities and handed over a part of the country to them. ++ The Swat Taliban have been "granted amnesty for murder, rape, pillage and other crimes." ++ A newly claimed Taliban region, Buner, poses a bigger threat, being less than 100 kilometres away from Islamabad. ++ While further expansions could see the Taliban control the Karakoram Highway, linking Pakistan to China.
