Taliban’s ultimatum

Militants should realize that any attempt to sabotage democracy would weaken the country. The verdict of the people in the national elections has to be respected by all. It won’t do, issuing ultimatums to a government chosen by the people, to resign. The popular verdict cannot be simply overturned by the power of the gun. At the same time the government should abandon the policy of resolving the conflict through talks. That is precisely what the local population wants. The use of force should be avoided and recourse to armed action should only be taken when all other options have given way. Fortunately, in the face of both the growing US anxiety, and the Taliban threat, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani seems to strike a balance by saying that his government was still committed to resolve the conflict in FATA through talks.