Pakistan, Nov. 8 -- Politics in Pakistan works in strange ways. A politician can spend years demanding peace, condemning terrorism and lamenting the sacrifices of our security personnel, only to discover a rather convenient sense of humour when those same personnel become an obstacle to his political argument. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a seasoned politician who knows the tribal belt better than most of his contemporaries, has lately offered a troubling example.

Addressing the Mufti Mahmood Conference, the JUI-F chief questioned the imposition of curfews in the tribal districts for two days a week. Do terrorists, he wondered, spend the remaining five days hiding in caves, emerging only when the security forces decide to conduct operations? ...