Ejaz Haider - Senior Journalist/Analyst

The benchmarks of success and failure used in a conventional war cannot be applied to irregular war, which subsumes several categories of armed conflict and almost invariably is fought among the people. Zarb-i-Azb is a limited operation meant to physically dominate the Tochi Valley and the main towns and arteries.

How successful the operation will be in terms of establishing the state's writ will, therefore, depend on how effectively and how soon can the area be transferred to the civilian authorities within the existing administrative arrangements that govern FATA. Whether that governance framework is adequate or relevant is another important question.

Going by the past experience of military operations, as also case studies of such conflicts in other parts of the world, the post-operation phases -- build and transfer -- will be a tough call and will depend on several other factors, including the effective and coordinated use of non-kinetic means.