Pakistani Media Roundup Huffpo

Having a look at the Pakistani media for Huffington over the weekend, there were two stories happening just as I filed; one concerned the kidnap of cadets from a college
and the other, a meeting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari held in Islamabad with his PM, chief and federal ministers, security heads, and governors.

In a sign to the country and the outside world that Zardari is taking the security situation seriously, intelligence chiefs briefed the President's meeting on potential in - country targets, the Punjabi Taliban, and the Taliban in Karachi.

The story about kidnapped college cadets changed mysteriously. First off, media reports said that about 400 young male cadets had been taken hostage by the Taliban in the North West of Pakistan, but the story then moved to reports that the Pakistani military managed to rescue 71 cadets and nine staff members after fierce fighting and some intense negotiation with tribal elders from the area.

Earth Times reported;

'A senior government official claimed up to 400 cadets were taken captive, while the vice-principal of the college said Taliban had seized only 50 people and released half of them shortly afterwards.'

So how many boys were actually kidnapped? Does anyone know or care?

Media reports suggest that the army is about to launch a counter-Taliban offensive in South Waziristan. That region is a safe haven for Talibanis and al-Qaeda fighters.