Pakistan, May 14 -- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's statement in the National Assembly that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is now on the "same page" as the Centre in the fight against terrorism was more than a reassurance. It was also an admission that such coordination had been missing when it was most needed. If cooperation between Islamabad and Peshawar has only now become firm, valuable time has already been lost in a province under a sustained attack.

Mr Asif also told the House that Pakistan had held several rounds of talks with the Afghan Taliban authorities, including through friendly countries, without securing a written guarantee that Afghan soil would not be used for attacks against Pakistan. Islamabad is right to press Kab...