'Musharraf's deal may be at the expense of US troops'

The deal struck by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf with tribal chiefs in Waziristan may be at the expense of US troops engaged in the war on terror, as al-Qaeda and Taliban members are likely to operate without fear of challenge from the area bordering Afghanistan, a leading US daily warned today.

In a blunt and straightforward editorial titled 'Pakistan's Separate Peace', The Washington Post also slammed President George W Bush's Administration for being too willing to "forgive" its autocratic friends like Musharraf but not democratic critics of the war on terrorism within the country.

It said, "Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld didn't say who he was thinking of when he warned in a controversial speech in August about people who think that 'countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists'."

In fact the most obvious candidate is that enduring favourite of the Bush Administration, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf." The daily noted that Musharraf, "...whose country has been the main base for leaders of both al-Qaeda and the Taliban since 2002," concluded a peace deal last week with tribal leaders in North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan.

"The Pakistani strongman agreed to withdraw his army from the area and release prisoners in exchange for promises by militants not to attack the Pakistani army or set up a parallel government.

"The Pakistani tribesmen also promised to stop cross-border attacks into Afghanistan and to disarm the many foreign terrorists in their midst -- but few analysts expect them to follow through on those pledges."

"Instead, both North and South Waziristan -- where a similar truce was agreed on earlier -- are likely to become territories where members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban operate without fear of challenge," the daily warned.