Khaleej Times Online - insightful editorial on the Damadola bombing in Pakistan

A brilliant, well-balanced editorial by a London-based Pakistani columnist, Irfan Husain, here speaking from a Muslim Pakistani perspective:

The fact is that we are very ambiguous about our attitude towards extremists and terrorists. While secretly cheering them on when they kill Westerners, we fulminate against the West for tightening visa and security requirements for Muslims. In particular, we deplore the tendency to lump all Muslims into a single category of potential terrorists.

Score one for reason and insight. Another excellent point:

Protestors have made much of the 'loss of sovereignty' caused by this attack. But sovereignty is never absolute. If we cannot control our own borders, how can we expect neighbours not to do something about it, especially when our territory is being used to harbour their enemies?

Irfan analyzes the situation from several perspectives and raises some interesting issues that highlight the subtleties of the relationships between the US and Pakistan and many of the terrorists we're after. Irfan and others have said they suspect the Pakistani government at least tacitly consented to the bombing, citing previous bombings and the lack of a public apology from the US as evidence.