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In the Pakistani press, every day brings a new piece of information about the Pakistan army’s impending victory over the Taliban. Dawn on May 22 reported: “Taliban in Lower Dir district agreed to wind up their camps and pull out within two days.” Daily Times added: “Yar Syed, a Tehreek-e-Taliban commander in Mohmand Agency, also handed over weapons to the political administration. He conceded ‘I was in the wrong.’”

Preceding the aforementioned news of surrender and realisation was the collective condemnation of Taliban’s variant of Shariah by Sunni scholars on May 19. Daily Times reported: “A convention organised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan unanimously rejected Taliban’s version of Sharia, beheading of people and fully backed the ongoing military operation.” Another cleric widened the ambit of this view as reported by The News on May 19. “Haji Hanif Tayyab called for the trial of Sufi Muhammad on charges of mutiny.”

FATA next

After NWFP, FATA seems the next step for the Pakistan army. Daily Times quoted a resolute President Asif Zardari as saying: “We’re going to go into Waziristan with [an] army operation.” The News added: “Swat is just the start. It is a larger war to fight.” No sooner had this comment come from Zardari than the Mehsud tribesmen of FATA’s Wana area began distancing themselves from Baitullah Mehsud who, as perceived by some, assassinated Benazir Bhutto. Daily Times reported on May 22: “The tribes are seeking an ‘unambiguous pledge’ from Taliban leader Maulvi Nazir to stay away from Baitullah . Unconfirmed reports say Nazir has told Baitullah: ‘I am ready to give you passage to Afghanistan if you want to fight the occupational forces there. But I cannot join you against the Pakistani forces.”