In an interview with BBC Urdu, the South Waziristan neo-Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud says that the assortment of militant groups in Pakistan’s seven tribal agencies and neighboring Malakand region of the NWFP (including Swat) have united under a new umbrella named the “Taliban Movement of Pakistan” (TMP) or Tehreek-e Taliban-e Pakistan.
The movement is led by [...]

Pakistan is again the focus of The Atlantic Monthly in its regularly surveying of American foreign policy experts. It asked 41 foreign policy authorities:

Should the United States unilaterally go after al-Qaeda leaders and training camps in Pakistan?

Results: 50% Yes; 50% No

How likely is a U.S. incursion into the tribal areas in the next two [...]

November 6: Earliest date for Supreme Court ruling on Pervez Musharraf’s re-election eligibility
November 7: Possible date for Nawaz Sharif departure of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for London
November 8: Benazir Bhutto expected to return to Pakistan from Dubai
November 8: Supreme Court to receive report from Sindh government on Bhutto blasts
November 9: Bhutto to hold rally in Rawalpindi
November [...]

ھر قدم فتنہ کے جانب؟
Pakistan’s security crises resemble the Whac-A-Mole game regularly found in amusement parks and fairs. The central government bashes — or at least attempts to — the head of insurgents in one area, only to find “miscreants” popping up elsewhere. The cycle continues with repeat offenders. Crises aren’t resolved — [...]

Developments in Pakistan in recent days further the view for both insiders and outsiders that the country is a perplexing bowl of contradictions and political intrigue.
KSE RISES
The Karachi Stock Exchange closed at all-time highs on Monday and Tuesday. Investor confidence boosted due to Pervez Musharraf’s re-election as president (pending the validation of [...]