June 5, 2013 was a great day in Pakistan's democratic transition.Forthe first time in the country's existence since 1947,Pakistanis witnessed an elected government replace another one as a result of the general elections held onMay 11. There was another historical record attached to this day: the newly elected representatives had just gonethrough the bloodiest election campaign in the history of Pakistan. Nearly 26 National Assembly constituencies and 35 provincial Assembly constituencies were witness to target killings, injuries, destruction and kidnappings that were mostly carried out by militant organisations resulting in the death of 244 persons, including seven candidates for the National and provincial Assemblies: Fakhrul Islam (MQM) NA-221, PS-47, Malik Adnan Khan Wazir (ANP) PK-72, Sadiq Zaman Khattak (ANP) NA-254, Adnan Qualeti (PPP) PS-95, Muhammad Zahir Shah Khan (PPP) PK-96, Abdul Fateh Magsi (independent) PB-32, and Shakeel Ahmed (MQM-H) NA-241 and PS-95. If some of the targeted candidates were lucky enough to escape the deadly attacks, their loved ones, like sons, brothers, and cousins were not. Most of these unfortunate people were sent to their graves by some unknown and unidentifiable creatures using guns, bombs, hand grenades and suicide bombers. Those who claimed responsibility remained beyond the reach of the law-enforcing authorities and were ignored by the people and their leaders too. The number of injured persons was three times higher than the dead ones and all those parliamentarians that now occupy the new National and provincial Assembly seats owe their success to the sacrifices of these people. The security threats that loomed large in the country during the election campaign were very lucidly described by the army chief General Ashfaq Kayani in these words: 'The nation withstood the threat of terrorism and defied the unfounded dictates of an insignificant and misguided minority by actively participating in the general elections.' Alas,...

Following the June 7 drone strike on Al Qaeda targets in the mountainous Shawal area of Waziristan, Pakistan summoned Ambassador Richard Hoagland, the deputy head of the US mission, to protest this violation of its sovereignty. It was the tenth time that an American official had to listen to Pakistani "umbrage" over the 353rd predator strike into Pakistani territory at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials there insist at least since 2010 no drone attack went unchallenged, mostly through formal protest notes. But drones continue to lob Hellfire missiles on suspected targets. President Asif Zardari in a recent interview with journalists and anchors representing various private Pakistani TV channels probably provided the answer to what a very senior army official had described as "helplessness". "Even if you shoot down a drone, what next?" Zardari quipped when one of the anchors pressed the issue and questioned Pakistan's inaction against the pilotless aerial vehicles. He probably knows that the CIA-Pentagon will chase and kill anybody they consider inimical to American interests - regardless of whether Pakistan or Afghanistan like it or not. The monthly average of deaths in the 342 strikes between January 1, 2004 and December 31 2012 is about 27, with 2,670 people killed. There were only eight or so strikes between 2004 and 2006. The number of attacks between 2008 and 2012 comes close to 67, or more than five per month. The figures for the first five months of 2013 indicate a substantial decline. Is it a result of raging criticism of the drone campaign within and outside the United States? Or is the anxious Obama administration - confronted with real hard choices ahead of next year's presidential election and the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan - looking for ways that could facilitate its Afghanistan strategy? Has it deescalated the controversial drone campaign as a quid pro quo? There have been just about 11 strikes in over five months this year, compared...

On Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif made history by becoming a three-time prime minister of the embattled nation of Pakistan. His thumping 244-vote victory in the 342-seat house was a foregone conclusion following his party's runaway success during the May 11 general elections. But the unprecedented success, followed by the oath of office that President Asif Ali Zardari administered, hardly brought any smiles for Sharif. His glum face during the parliamentary proceedings betrayed the enormity of critical challenges that stare him in the face: crippling power-outages, a stagnating economy, crushing inflation, massive unemployment, and the al-Qaeda-linked Taliban insurgency in the northwestern territories are but a few of the daunting issues Sharif would need to attend to on a war-footing. During his acceptance speech after his election today, Sharif struck a conciliatory tone toward all friends and foes, promising to take them all on board in the "national interest." But he also chose to touch on an issue that has been a major source of friction with the United States: controversial drone strikes. "The chapter of daily drone attacks should stop. We respect sovereignty of other countries but others should also respect our sovereignty," Sharif said to the thumping of desks by MPs. Sharif seemed to be repeating what is already the consensus among most of the political elite, which as of now -- at least publicly -- stands united in its opposition to the drone attacks. With this, Sharif upped the ante, signaling that his government is ready to undertake a critical review of relations with the United States, including the thorny issue of the unmanned Predator drones that have been targeting al-Qaeda and its Pakistani auxiliaries in the rugged Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan. The new prime minister's statement not only raised expectations at home but also sent a clear message to the U.S. administration that both countries must find a way of conducting this warfare in a way...