We knew the military was preparing for the eventual showdown. A few hours ago the army spokesman announced the start of an unprecedented massive operation against the Taliban and Al-Qaidah hideouts in North Waziristan. Operaton 'Azb launched. ('Azb being the sword of the Prophet that he used during the battle of Badr - this I'm hearing the TV channels say) http://tribune.com.pk/story/722202/army-launches-operation-in-north-waziristan/ Now, extremist Talibans have a lot of support among the some sections of Pakistani society, in particular middle class trading/merchant classes and madarassah-going people and their mentoring networks. But unlike in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, the pro or anti standpoints aren't divided along sectarian lines. Of course, all Shias support the all-out operation, and so do non-Muslim minorities, but so do the masses of ordinary Sunnis (this matters a lot). Even Sunni Islamic parties which aren't of the Wahhabist persuasion are supporting the operation. I just heard Sarwat Qadri, the head of one of the largest Sunni parties, to pray for the complete annihilation of Taliban khawarij.