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Pakistan has reached an agreement...
Pakistan government officials said they struck a deal on Monday to accept a legal system compatible with Shariah law in the violent Swat region in return for peace.The agreement contradicted American demands for the Pakistan authorities to fight harder against militants, and seemed certain to raise fears in Washington that a perilous precedent had been set across a volatile region where U.S. forces are fighting Taliban militants operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.While one Pakistani official downplayed the decision (technically, all Pakistani law is supposed to be in agreement with the Qur'an) it does represent a preview of potential negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan, though the offers of those negotiatins have been rejected by the Taliban's upper-level leadership. This deal hinges, of course, on how the two sides interpret the concept of shariah, a mutable term, but no doubt international officials will be watching to see how this bargain is implemented. But this is a tough moment for the new Pakistani Prime Minisiter, Asif Ali Zardari, who came into power in a tenuous position and now is concessions in return for some security. It doen't exactly represent the actions of the kind of friend the U.S. needs in Islamabad right now. The real question of interest is how American officials will react to the deal. The article points out that the deal contradicts agreements between the Pakistani government and the U.S., but its worth watching to see if the Obama administration lets this one slide. I'll bet they will -- no doubt they're disappointed to see our sort-of-ally concede to the militants on this one, but there is a willingness to give Zardari a lot of room to work so early in both government's terms.
-- Tim Fernholz
