Newsline takes you back in time to the year 1990 when Asif Zardari had claimed, “If the party comes into power again, I will be sure to put my little bit in…”

Will Jinnah’s vision of a democratic Pakistan prevail over Zia’s vision of a theocratic Pakistan?

Can drone attacks really help the US win the war against Al-Qaeda?

Will widening the military offensive in Pakistan to include the Haqqani network in North Waziristan imperil the fragile domestic consensus on fighting militancy?

The Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down the NRO has increased pressure on Zardari to step down and face corruption and criminal charges. The judgment has weakened the president and could open the way for a challenge to the legitimacy of his election.

Several former army soldiers are either fighting in Afghanistan or training Taliban forces and formulating strategies to counter the war on terror.

Afghans have flooded Quetta. And the Taliban are among them. In fact, seminaries from where the Taliban forces were once nurtured have become the centre for producing a new generation of Islamic warriors.

Accepting the conditional aid of the Kerry-Lugar Bill would give the US administration a free hand in determining what policies Pakistan should pursue. The bill is a recipe for disaster and would further widen the gulf between the so-called allies, says Zahid Hussain. It would lead to a master-and-client relationship, completely compromising Pakistan’s political sovereignty.

The Pakistani army has dealt another blow to the Taliban. The arrest of Muslim Khan is a major breakthrough in Pakistan’s battle against Al-Qaeda-backed militants, says Zahid Hussain, for Muslim Khan is more than a public relations man.

Zahid Hussain meets some potential suicide bombers who were captured during the army operation in Swat.