Army must change tactics against militants to halt chaos

LONDON - The Pakistani army, one of world's most highly autonomous forces, must change its tactics against the militants if it is to halt a descent into chaos. As most powerful institution in the country, the Pakistani army has to decide how to save itself and the country it has dominated for so long. In the struggle across the region, it could even be said that decisions made at the GHQ in Rawalpindi may turn out to be more important than those made in Washington, Baghdad, Tehran or Tel Aviv, said a report published in the British daily The Guardian.

From the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, the armed forces of the states located in the world's most intense conflict zone are stacked together like a dangerous house of cards. They plan, plot and puzzle, as embattled military establishments always do. Yet the most important decisions are arguably those that face the army least often mentioned in discussion - that of Pakistan. It has frequently been the government and remains by far.