Mohsin Segal at Pakistan Spectator talks about Mehsud's terror tactics:

Pakistan's #1 terrorist is Baitullah Mehsud who has rocked Pakistan from Karachi to Khyber with a continuous string of suicide attacks, bomb blasts, kidnapping and then his other evil tactics. He has garnered support from many quarters and is capable of wrecking havoc throughout Pakistan. His power has not all of a sudden emerged from out of the blue. He has cashed in on the opportunity. He is using the wandering and clueless foreign militants and the local militants, in the name of Islam, as a cannon fodder.

Baituallah mehsud is known to avoid public appearance or photographs. A video by Istream.in shows him and his possible hideout:

On 17th June, the Pakistan army has officially started an operation against Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and his allies in South Waziristan.

Jauhar Ismail at All Things Pakistan discusses the reasons for the army offensive:

While the military analysts disagree on the timing for this operation, there is no disagreement that crushing Baitullah and his militant network is a prerequisite for curbing the tsunami of terrorism engulfing Pakistan. In addition to providing sanctuary to top level Al-Qaeda leadership, TTP is also running several suicide training camps in South Waziristan. He has also made successful attempts to fuse together various terrorist groups to fight their “common enemies”.

The operation is termed as ‘Rah-e-Nijat' which means ‘way to good riddance'. In the wake of the operation Rah-e-Nijat several tribe leaders form Baitullah's native tribe have turned against him. Junaid Khan at Pro-Pakistan gives an insight on the alliance:

Now that the army operation is imminent, a division between the Mehsuds are becoming visible. The tribal people of South Waziristan will have to take sides since remaining neutral will be a difficult option.

Another post at Urdu Maza emphasizes on the need of the operation:

Its the best time, we have dispersed more than 3.5 million Pakistani, now Pakistan army should clear every militant in north and South Waziristan, enough is enough, northern areas are the backbone of our culture and society, these areas are symbol of purity and beauty and of course a heaven of tourism, but unless these criminals are not wiped out completely, they can create problem again.

With the local tribesman volunteering to help the army and a Rs. 50 million bounty on Mehsud, it is hoped that the operation will be swift. But Pakistan is facing a growing number of refugees who are fleeing the wars and if this operation continues for long, this will trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.

South Asian bloggers are also chiming in with their reactions.

Bhutan:

Earth Bound Insight thinks the world is a poorer place without Michael Jackson (MJ):

If there are 6 billion people on this planet, and every single one had decided to blog on Michael Jackson’s death, it wouldn’t matter that I am yet another one of the billions of bloggers.

But I still want to add my piping, squeaking ineloquent voice too, to give accolades, and pay tribute

To the man who was : the King of Pop.
To the Appollo Icon.
To one of the best entertainers in pop music history,

regardless of the controversies of his personal life, the man still made great music.

Pakistan:

Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi writes:

Though he was no more enjoying the lime light as he used to get, his story is one full of determination, struggle and misfortunes. From a black in a society dominated by white, he emerged as the true generation leader, and this remained until his death.

Thanks for touching so many around the world, undoubtedly Michael was larger than life.

Pak Tea House remembers the influence of the king.

For many of us, he was the only face of western music in Pakistan the 1980s. We grew up admiring him, trying to moonwalk like him and trying to scream like him.

Danial Burki, a commenter on the above post recalls what the icon meant for them:

His music really kept hope alive in Pakistan during the 80s.

Bangladesh:

Ishtiaq Rouf writes:

বহু গায়ক আসবেন, অনেক “এন্টারটেইনার” জন্ম নেবেন, কিন্তু দ্বিতীয় জ্যাকসন আসবে না। শত বিতর্ক আর হাস্যকর কার্যকলাপ সত্বেও মাইকেল জ্যাকসন চিরকাল “থ্রিলার” হয়েই রইবেন। ..

একটু পাগলাটে আর খামখেয়ালি না হলে বোধহয় প্রতিভাবানদের মানায় না। একটু তাড়াতাড়ি ফুরিয়ে না গেলেও তাই। তাই বলে এতটাই দ্রুত? মাত্র ৫০ বছর বয়সে?

A commenter on the post writes:

| ভুতুম [অতিথি] | শুক্র, ২০০৯-০৬-২৬ ১০:০৬

নেভারল্যান্ডেও তাহলে বয়স বাড়ে, রোগ হয়, মরে যায় কেউ। মনটা খারাপ হয়ে আছে।

Kowshik writes:

তার প্রকৃতিপ্রদত্ত সৌন্দর্য আমার চোখে বেশী চমকাতো, কি স্পর্ধায় তাকিয়ে থাকতো মায়াবী-রাজপুত্রের কালো চোখ! মাইকেল জ্যাকসনের মৃত্যুকে প্রত্যাখ্যান করলাম। প্রকৃতির এই স্বেচ্ছাচার মানি না।

Sri Lanka:

Diaspora blogger London, Lanka and Drums says:

What became clear over the years to me, as well as several million other people, was that he was a troubled soul, a person looking for something. He had the money, he had the talent, the fame and all the trappings. He just never appeared to have the contentment, the inner peace that so many people who live a “normal” nine to five life have.

His legacy will last and his music will stay. As a musician I can have total respect for the way his contributions to the world of music actually shaped and changed things. Musically he's one of the greats.

But it's Michael Jackson the young kid in the early Jackson Five songs that I feel sad for. It's Michael Jackson the father of three that I mourn for. I hope he finds his peace.

India:

Uber Desi recalls that Michael Jackson toured India in 1996 and did a show in Mumbai.

Jackson is the one Western artiste who is known to even the common man in India.

Kamla Bhatt pays tribute to MJ:

Michael Jackson thank you so much for your music and the countless happy hours of music and memories that you gave so many people.

She noticed that Jackson exerted a huge influence on Bollywood and the Indian film industry. Ennis at Sepia Mutiny posts some videos portraying how MJ influenced the Indian film industry.

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher writes in a blog post:

In my book, Michael Jackson is to entertainment what Gandhi is to peace and humanity.

Aparna Ray at Newsmericks wrote a limerick as a tribute to him.

As a man who lived life off the wall,
Michael Jackson, King of Pop, had it all.
Unmatched voice and that dance,
Held the world in a trance,
But then after the rise, came the fall.

Aditi Nadkarni at Desicritics remembers:

He was my very first introduction to pop music, our generation's pop music. If it weren't for him, our times would not have had any star to show for itself, no Elvis, no Beatle mania. We from the 90s would have passed by without a craze.

I remember hearing the scream, the sounds of shattering glass weaved into his music, the irreverant howl, the vulnerable quiver of his voice and the startling hiccup that punctuated his songs so in contrast to the steady, unbroken, melancholy notes of Indian music.

Slime, a commentator on that post tells that Michael Jackson represents the impossible and wishes:

I salute God for making such people like MJ who conquered. MJ, u will be born again in future years as young people will try to achieve the impossible.

Hasan Mubarak on Lahore MetBlogs considers it an expected retaliation:

It was not unexpected after the Government launched an all-out military action against the militants in SWAT that they will hit back harder this time. Again, the phenomenon of suicide bombings is not new; we have now been going through this for the last two years while losing thousands of innocent people and a former Prime Minister. What’s new is the scale and sophistication of these blasts.

The increasing number of suicide bombings in various cities have sparked various reactions from people. Much recent attacks targeting mosques have resulted in a backlash from the locals of the area.

A blog Post on Pakistan First elaborates the sentiment of people against the Taliban:

Pakistani tribesman avenging a mosque attack surrounded two militant strongholds and destroyed the homes of some Taliban commanders, an official said Monday as the death toll in the fighting hit 13.

As many as 1,600 tribesmen have joined a citizens' militia in Upper Dir district an indication of rising anti-Taliban sentiment in Pakistan as the military pursues its offensive against the militant group in the nearby Swat Valley.

The targeting of mosques has also brought about reactions from various religious organizations and Clerics. Apart from condemning the attacks the religious factions have also started campaigning against the Talibans.

A post on ApnaLahore details the event:

Addressing the participants at Regal Chowk, Dr Sarfraz Naeemi (President of TRNM) said the military operation must continue till (the) complete eradication of the Taliban.

He said those opposing the operations were not patriotic and secretly supporting the Taliban who had caused irreparable loss to Islam. He lashed out at leaders of the religious leaders who opposed creation of Pakistan. He announced that an all Pakistan Ulema and Mashaikh convention would be held on June 10 at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal to reaffirm the cause of Pakistan.

Mufti Naeemi also released a fatwa declaring the Taliban as ‘non-muslims’ further aggravating the Taliban's stance on Islam. This seem to be a bold initiative that might help in lowering down sympathies for Taliban.

A post at Five rupees illustrates the impact of the Anti-Taliban Movement and Naeemi's Fatwa:

This made his anti-Taliban stance all the more useful. He could reach out to people who might be inclined to follow the Taliban in a way that liberals like us never could. He also served as a symbol, not only of the public's growing revulsion at the Taliban, but also their willingness to support military action to deal with the threat. It is no surprise that Naeemi's support of the current military operation, support he had not given to such previous actions, coincided with greater public support for the army.

The news of the blast that killed the Anti-Taliban cleric sparked these reactions on twitter:

@MaajidNawaz is mourning the assasination of the Sufi religious scholar Safraz Naeemi by extremist bigotted terrorists in Pakistan

@DrAwab: Dr. Sarfaraz Naeemi killed in the blast. The person who had given fatwa in favour of swat operation

@imhassan The bomb blast in lahore was in the mosque where i offered Friday prayers all my childhood. Feel really bad about the incident

@kursed This is the third attack against a mosque in a month, in Pakistan

Apart from the the Paksitani Blogosphere, the mainstream media also chimed in condemning the targeting of mosques.

Paul Alexander at the Associate Press puts the public sentiments into perspective :

But instead of sowing fear and dissension, the attacks appear to be contributing to a growing wave of anti-Taliban sentiment, particularly the bombing at a seminary Friday that killed Sarfraz Naeemi. The cleric had called the militants murderers, condemned suicide attacks as un-Islamic and backed the ongoing operations in the Swat Valley region.

His death sparked a general strike that virtually shut down Karachi, the country's commercial center. About 200 activists of Jamat Ahle Sunnat, a moderate Muslim sect, staged a mock funeral procession for the Taliban, burning one in effigy as they chanted “Down with the Taliban; Taliban, the enemy of Islam; death for the killers of Sarfraz Naeemi.”

Adil Najam at ATP gives an analysis on the Taliban tactic :

It is clear that the Taliban know exactly what they are doing. They are spreading mayhem. They are breeding fear. They are terrorizing Pakistanis. They are doing all this for a reason. The real battle is for the hearts and minds of Pakistanis.

They made the religious argument and that seems to be working less and less for them today. Now they are threatening our daily existence in the attempt to break the will of the public.

The heinous acts of terrorism at mosques speaks volumes about the “Taliban's version” of religion and democracy. It remains to be seen how the Taliban, being a fundamental part of the Afghan and tribal communities of Northern Pakistan, are perceived and tackled by the Pakistanis in the future.