Back off or else. “Pakistan Taliban warn new government to keep clear,” by Kamran Haider for Reuters:
ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Pakistan militants linked to al-Qaeda warned any incoming civilian government on Sunday that they would strike even more viciously if President Pervez Musharraf’s war on terror was continued in tribal areas.
Following last week’s inconclusive election, several political parties are in talks to form a coalition big enough for a ruling majority in the National Assembly. How they deal with the militants will be one of their most pressing challenges.
Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location that any new operation against militants in tribal areas would lead to violence. “Whoever makes the government, we want to make it clear to them we don’t want fighting. We want peace, but if they impose war on us, we will not spare them,” he said.
“We don’t want political parties to repeat the mistake which Musharraf committed and follow a path dictated by the U.S.”