ANALYSIS  – At the beginning of last century when the areas now known as the federally administered territories were under the loose control of the British Empire, Winston Churchill used a new technique to pacify the rebellious tribes – bombing.
The Pathans of the North West Frontier never accepted outside rule then, especially when they were not Muslims.
When the nation of Pakistan was formed they were the first to offer their allegiance to the newly created Islamic republic.
But they never changed their ways and customs – lawlessness is and has always remained part of their way of life.
The question is will they finally behave now that they have the threat of the Pakistan army hanging over them.
Using first rate intelligence and backing it up with a single deadly airstrike or a bullet from an assassin, Pakistan’s military has pushed the ‘Pakistan Taliban’ to the the negotiating table. But the attacks have continued with a horrendous assault on a courtroom in Islamabad which brought today’s warning from Pakistan military that a full scale operation could be launched as early as this month if there is no end to the violence.
The people of Pakistan have already made their feelings clear about what should happen to the so called Tehreek e Taliban, even the politicians are united on this issue.
Only Nawaz Sharif who has attempted to bring them with in the political process has stood in the way.
The first wave of deadly Pakistan operations began after a number of Pakistani soldiers were beheaded by the Taliban. A pause in operations came after the Taliban leadership clearly afraid for their lives announced they were ready to talk.
A splinter group has been blamed for the courthouse attack, but that will not be good enough if there are any further atrocities. The question is of course have the lawless tribes finally got the message.