Impact of 9/11 war on tribal society
	Therefore, does it make sense to demand the revival of political administration of the type prevalent in December 2001? The answer is in the negative. The dynamics of war has made the old system irrelevant and it cannot be resurrected. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on June 1st, 2008

	The Swat peace agreement
	I feel the chances for long term peace would have been much higher if the NWFP government had proper institutions for leveraging between the militants and the state; like the presence of an executive magistracy. The existence of such a capacity could have utilized the space created by the peace agreements for re-establishing the writ of the government. For example the Swat militants have agreed to hand over non local militants but can they do so themselves? I don’t think they could. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on May 24th, 2008

	The march of folly
	Pakistani leaders, public and the media are so engrossed in the politics of the PCO that sight is lost of other ominous developments on our north western border. Events are moving rapidly towards an imminent denouement of what began with so much promise after the February 18 elections. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on May 18, 2008

	The only solution for FATA
	Clearly peace in NWFP can only come if FATA is peaceful. However, NWFP cannot negotiate with elements in FATA, nor can it hold TeT accountable for peace violation committed in NWFP, since the agreement with them is likely to be signed in Fata by the federal government. This example clearly illustrates that the advantage lies with TeT and it will be impossible to monitor a peace agreement in different jurisdictions due to administrative anomalies. It also indicates the need for an early merger of FATA into NWFP. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on May 10th, 2008

	Can peace be won in NWFP?
	Many conservative Pakhtuns believe that the fighting in Swat, Kohat and Waziristan is a war of liberation against US occupation of Afghanistan; they fight the Pakistani state because of its alliance with the US. However, it does not make it a US war alone. Whatever may be the case at the start, this is now Pakistan's war, since the objective of the insurgents is to change the nature of the Pakistani state. To fellow Pakistanis I would say that it is our war, whether we like it or not. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on April 24th, 2008

	Risks involved in peace agreements in NWFP and tribal areas
	Therefore, for any peace agreement to succeed, two other strategic conditions must be met. Firstly, that it is genuinely aimed at bringing peace and is not driven by expediency. Secondly, that it should not result in expanding belligerency in Afghanistan. If it fails to achieve these two necessary conditions, then it cannot be a peace agreement but appeasement More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on May 4th, 2008

	Pakistan’s security and the NWFP peace plan
	The forthcoming debate on the peace plan provides an opportunity to positively influence the security policies of US in this region. If global security requires Pakistan to remedy a socio-political crisis emerging from an Islamist movement in Pakistan, then in all fairness, it must be ensured that an indigenous Pakistani plan is used for solving the problem. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on April 28, 2008

	SHOULD WE BE WORRIED?
	The War on Terror has generated forces that have perhaps exceeded the Pakistani social and institutional system’s ability to respond in a manner consistent with good policy making. Bad decisions will abound because this is a decaying model of governance. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Feb 1st 2008

	THE EXTENT OF OUR TROUBLE
	There should be an agreement between the military and the major political parties based on an understanding that the war on terror can only be won if conducted both by the political and the military organs. The premise is that both have a role to play for the protection and revival of the state. It cannot be done single handedly by any one organ alone. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Jan 18th, 2008

	RESIGNATION OF GOVERNOR, NWFP
	Gen Aurakzai against his advice received shrill instructions for launching perilous military operations for the arrest of Baitullah Mahsud and his followers. Someone, during these conversations may have overstepped the bounds of decency and accused the Governor of supporting the hostiles. This preposterous charge, I feel led Gen. Aurakzai to send his resignation. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Jan 6th 2008