THE War on Terror has certainly veered off track, forcing Pakistan to seriously rethink its policy in the global struggle. The attacks, which were a rarity a year ago, have become somewhat of a routine and incline one to think it was no more Iraq or Afghanistan, but Pakistan which is the new fault line. At least 20 people were killed, and many injured, including women and children, in an attack on a residential compound believed to have been owned by Jalaludin Haqqani, a local Taliban leader who at the time of attack was in Afghanistan. A number of houses surrounding the target were also razed to the ground, causing fear among the local population. However there is a pattern to these raids. It was after talks at the highest level, particularly those aboard the Abraham Lincoln between COAS Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and US commanders, that something went wrong. Though statements from both sides confirmed that a framework had been hammered out in areas of counterterrorism, the fact is that the number of attacks into Pakistani territory increased manifold. It is a pity that the air strike yesterday was the fourth attack in five days. The number of people killed now stands at well over 60, most of them civilians. Contrast this situation with the Afghan war. Despite the all-out support given to the US-led Afghan resistance, comprising the Mujahideen, the Soviets never attacked directly inside Pakistan. It is worrisome to learn that Pentagon officials have warned that missile strikes of the sort could continue indefinitely. Add to it the hostile statements by presidential candidate Barack Obama, particularly his recent one about the country diverting $10 billion in aid from counter-insurgency operations to a military build-up against India. On the other hand, the volley of attacks since they were few and far between in the days of Musharraf also points attention to the fact that the US was not that happy with the civilian set-up and wanted someone submissive like the general toeing their line without raising any fuss. Thus by creating trouble in our tribal region and forcing the tribal population to stand up against the government, the US seems intent on destabilizing the democratic regime. This would be contradictory to the US claims of supporting democracy throughout the world. Moreover, by taking the war to Pakistan, the US wants to sell the idea around that its struggle had been successful. The reality is that the world is now a more dangerous place to live.