One of the places I was able to visit on a recent deployment was Karachi, Pakistan. At a university there met and spoke to many students who were pro-West, anti-Taliban, but there was an equal number of pro-Taliban anti-Western students who hero worshipped Osama bin Laden. I wouldn't be surprised if elements of the Pakistani Defence and Public Service are fighting and working on opposte sides either for or against the Afghan governmet, NATO or Taliban. Pakistan is neither a plus or a minus in the overal strategy to defeat the Taliban for the are assisting both sides. BTW by Taliban I mean the bad Taliban. Some "Taliban" should be distinguished from the main organisation as they are willing to negotiate and compromise (as General Richards found when he was CO of NATO forces in Afghanistan).