Who speaks for Pakistan Posted by Patrick Barry

The state of play in Pakistan is getting more curious by the day, but this statement by Interior Affars Minister Rahman Malik, indicating that Islamabad has scrapped the truce with the Taliban,adds a whole new layer to the confusion:

"The Swat agreement is scrapped as the militants have (continued) their attacks on security forces"

Here is where things get interesting though, because while Islamabad has abandoned the truce, the Taliban is very much under the impression that the cease-fire is still on. Here is the key excerpt:

"Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said that "some elements" were trying to sabotage the peace process.

The peace agreement was signed with the NWFP government and "not with Rehman Malik", he said reacting to Malik's announcement and especially his stand that there would be no talks with hardline militants."

Unsurprisingly, the government in the frontier provinces is not lending great clarity to the situation, responding with a largely vague criticism:

"The Awami National Party-led NWFP government too reacted angrily to Malik's comments, with senior minister and ANP leader Bashir Bilour saying Malik should have consulted provincial authorities before making such statements."

There is an intensely circular feel to these developments, where Islamabad sets policy, the Taliban disputes it on the grounds that they have been working with the ANP, and the ANP, while strong in the northwest frontier, says little because their overall power within the ruling coalition in Islamabad is limited.

Given the fiery remarks by Beitullah Mehsoud and the fact that previous cease-fires haven't exactly ended well for Pakistan, this reversal by the government is probably not a bad thing.  What is troubling however, is the incoherence that characterizes these developments, with multiple actors disputing what the state's policy should actually be.  If the new coalition government hopes to rule effectively, this sort of thing cannot continue.   

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This is very useful information.I was wondering this only.I remember during the January offensive against Mr. Mehsud, he hid among the civilians around the Makin bazaar, using them as shields and making it tricky to capture him, said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, the spokesman for the Pakistani Army.

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Local Pakistani authorities say they are helpless to deal with Mr. Mehsud’s group. In a measure of their despair, on Wednesday the authorities in the Mohmand district, where the conference and public execution were held, announced a truce with the Taliban.

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