Under increasing pressure from religious parties and the military and intelligence services, the Pakistan People's Party has lost the resolve to fight terrorism and promote democracy.

Combating terrorists in Pakistan's borderlands was hard enough, but now the Obama administration must take actions to prevent Pakistan from evading U.S. and international pressure to attack the terrorist cancer eating away at Punjab, the nation's must populated province.

The growth of terrorist activity in Pakistan's Punjab Province could have serious consequences for Pakistan's stability, the war in Afghanistan, India-Pakistan relations, and international terrorism.