Poll for the day question.....Taliban and Pakistan

Pakistan: A State Unraveling?

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari approved a peace pact with Taliban forces in the Swat Valley in the hope of calming Swat, where some two years of clashes between the Taliban and security forces have killed hundreds and displaced up to a third of the valley's 1.5 million residents. The government faces stiff criticism at home and abroad for striking a peace deal that includes the introduction of Islamic law in the nearby Swat Valley , from where Taliban militants appear to be expanding their authority. According to the deal, the government ceded power to the Taliban in the Swat Valley and allowed them to impose Islamic law in the area in return for a cease-fire - ending two years of on and off military operations there.

But last weekend at a large gathering of supporters in the valley, the Taliban announced they would not lay down their arms and openly challenged the state. They declared that democracy was un-Islamic and called for harsh Islamic laws, known as Sharia, to replace Pakistan 's constitution. The next day, they began their advance into Buner. That valley's proximity to the capital, Islamabad , just 70 miles and a five-hour drive away. On Friday the Taliban began retreating.

Pakistan is beginning to recognize the severity of the threat posed by an extremist insurgency that is encroaching on key urban areas, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday. Changing paradigms and mind-sets is not easy, but I do believe there is an increasing awareness of not just the Pakistani government but the Pakistani people that this insurgency coming closer and closer to major cities does pose such a threat." On Wednesday, Clinton told another House committee that in her view the Pakistani government is "basically abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists."

  "Talibanisation" of Pakistan and the future of the country.

What do you think about the Pakistani President's peace pact with the Taliban? Should he have made concessions to the Taliban? How will the introduction of Sharia law in the Swat Valley affect the region and Afghanistan ? How will the current events in Pakistan affect the United States ? What do you think the future holds for Pakistan ?

Any other comments or questions?

And last but not least by far is how concerned are you about the thought of the Taliban possibly having access to nuclear weapons???