UNPOPULAR WAR

    Zardari once confessed "it's an unpopular thing to be an American friend..." in an interview with a foreign media in October.

    It has always been the mandate of the U.S. that Pakistan, as its key ally in fight against the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan, should deal with the militants with an iron fist.

    The new Pakistani government, after came into being in March this year, started to negotiate with militants in the tribal areas. It was expected that the security forces and militants could ceasefire and the law and order situation across the country would be improved once "peace deals" were inked.

    For fear that militants might get a safe haven in Pakistan and regroup to attack the coalition forces in Afghanistan, the U.S. and NATO commanders strongly opposed the move and asked the Pakistani government to take a hard line.

    Pakistan's security forces started major military operations in the second half of this year, with around 100,000 security personnel fighting with militants in the tribal areas and Swat valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), local reports said.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. stepped up cross-border strikes on suspected targets in the tribal areas through its drones, sparking nationwide protest and criticism in Pakistan.

    The angry parliament passed a resolution asking the government to protect Pakistan's sovereignty and territory integrity by stopping the attacks on Sept. 4. Nonetheless, the drone attacks did not come to a halt despite repeated protests and condemnations.

    Gilani summoned an in-camera session of the parliament which lasted for 15 days to chalk out an anti-terror strategy. The parliament finally approved a 14-point resolution on Oct. 23.

    According to the resolution, it was agreed that the government should revise "the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability to Pakistan and the region through an independent foreign policy." The resolution also said the government should stop incursions and "dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a principal instrument of conflict management and resolution."

    The parliament has enough reasons to push for a shift on the anti-terror policy.