Pakistan government pressured on plan after offensive

Islamabad: As Pakistan's army ploughs ahead with its offensive in South Waziristan, its success is at risk because the government has yet to come up with a plan to run and rebuild the lawless territory so that the Taliban and Al Qaida don't re-emerge.

But the army's battlefield success could be pointless in the long run, critics say, because lawmakers have yet to present a clear post-conflict plan for the tribal region — a dithering that could give space for the Taliban and their Al Qaida allies to regroup.

"I think they are running out of time," said Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a Pakistani political expert.

Pakistan's northwest tribal regions lie outside the normal government structure in the rest of the country. Power is vested in tribal elders and appointed "political agents". Residents are subject to colonial-era laws whose features include collective punishment.

Leading newspapers on Friday urged the civilian government to come up with a plan for the impoverished region, where lack of opportunities — and fear — have led many in the population of 500,000 to aid or sympathise with the Taliban.