That’s been rather obvious all along. And now that their advance into Buner has been halted for the moment, the peace deal has reach the end of its useful life, in accordance with Islamic tradition, of buying the Taliban time at a moment of weakness: “Truces are permissible, not obligatory….Interests that justify making a truce are such things as Muslim weakness because of lack of numbers or materiel, or the hope of an enemy becoming Muslim…” – Umdat al-Salik, o9.16
“Taliban: Peace pact with Pakistan is ‘worthless’,” by Zarar Khan for the Associated Press, April 27:
ISLAMABAD — Taliban militants said Monday their peace deal with the Pakistani government was “worthless” after authorities deployed helicopters and artillery against hide-outs of Islamist guerrillas seeking to extend their grip along the Afghan border.
A collapse of the pact would likely please Obama administration officials pressing Islamabad hard for more robust action against extremists threatening Pakistan’s stability and U.S. and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan. […]
The government agreed in February to impose Islamic law in Swat and surrounding districts that make up Malakand Division if the Taliban there would end their violent campaign in the one-time tourist haven.
In recent days, Taliban forces from Swat began entering Buner, a neighboring district just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Pakistani capital.
American officials have described the pact as a capitulation and urged Pakistani leaders to switch their security focus from traditional foe India to violent extremists inside their borders. […]
A spokesman for the Taliban in their Swat Valley stronghold denounced the operation as a violation of the pact and said their fighters were on alert and waiting to see if a hard-line cleric who mediated the deal pronounced it dead.
“The agreements with the Pakistan government are worthless because Pakistani rulers are acting to please Americans,” Muslim Khan, spokesman for Taliban militants in the Swat Valley, told The Associated Press.
A spokesman for Sufi Muhammad said the cleric was trapped in his home in the same area of Lower Dir attacked by troops Friday and that his supporters have been unable to contact him.
“We will not hold any talks until the operation ends,” spokesman Amir Izzat Khan said.
Umar , the Pakistani Taliban spokesman, said the militants would agree to talks about the situation in Dir, but only if the military operation is halted.
“We were living peacefully in Dir,” Umar said. “Nothing warranted the operation.”
Dianne Feinstein, head of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that the recent Taliban advance in Buner “” and the lack of a robust military response “” suggested Pakistan was “in very deep trouble.”…