Al-Qaeda in Pakistan?

I just read this story on the BBC and having just come back from Pakistan, I feel I can shed some unique light on the issue.

First of all, I feel the problem of cause and effect and the failure of the US to understand this co-realtion is a big quagmire. For example while I was in Pakistan the issue of saddam's hanging made big headlines across the board on cable TV and in newspapers. By and large the local media there ( be it left or right), was appaled at the fact that Saddam was hanged so close to Eid ( or on Eid in some areas). While people there acknowledged the fact that Mr. Saddam was a tyrant no one could excuse the timing of the hanging and some even asked questions about the fairness of the trail. The point being that there is a feeling in Pakistan across the board that the US has a big agenda against the Muslims.

Despite the above mentioned feeling among people in Pakistan, it is very rare that someone would symphathize with anyone killing innocent people in the West or in Pakistan. If sympathy does exsist with Al-Qaeda ( the defination of Al-Qaeda is of course very subjective), it is most likely to be in the tribal areas next to Afganistan. The reasons for this symptahy are many-fold. It is not only because they hate America ( well most people there hate America anyways), its because the government in Pakistan is being a puppet of the US government and is seen to be acting like a headless chicken while taking a tough line on what it calls terrorists . A tough line is fine as long as you arrest the right people and prosecute them in the court of law. However it is not okay if you kidnap people and send them to Guantanomo. It is not okay if American Drones kill 80 teenagers in a Madressa just to kill one taleban sympathizer ( only to be followed by fake strikes nearby by Pakistani Helicopters to hide the fact that the Americans did it). It is not okay if 17 people including women and children are killled in an American airstrike before that.

The Afgan border area of Pakistan has always had poor relations with the government and the handling of this issue by both the US and Pakistan isnt helping either country. The question arises here as to what the solution to this problem could be?

I think for one the Pakistani government needs to build trust with the Tribal elders near the Afgan border ( A course of action that they were purusing at one point). While it is true that the tribal elders arent the easisest to deal with ( some of them oppose development of thier areas because that would compromise thier hold on power), killing them or thier people isnt the solution either. Moreover Pakistan needs to stand up to the US and protect the people within it's boundries. It doesnt help when the Pakistani army is seen to be covering up US airstrikes or supporting the US without thought or consideration for its own people.

In other words Pakistan needs to educate and build trust with both: the Tribal Elders at the Pak-Afgan border and effective Tribal elders of the US government.