Will Pakistan fall to the Taliban?

Pakistan is on a precipice, is how one politician described the situation, following news of the Taliban's advance into the country, which is covered heavily in today's broadsheets following international alarm over the development.

Declan Walsh writes in the Guardian that while the fall of Buner does not pose an immediate threat to the capital, the speed and aggression of the advance has prompted panic in the country's western allies.

One western diplomat told that a safe haven in the Swat valley could potentially be more dangerous than one in tribal areas close to the border because of better communications.
"There's a doomsday scenario where the real concern is that they establish a foothold in this part of northern Pakistan to launch attacks on Afghanistan, India and the west," he said.

But the Guardian is slightly more circumspect on the significance on its leader page.

"To the question: will Pakistan fall to the Taliban? The answer is that parts of the country have already fallen to them. But that does not mean Pakistan as a whole is in danger, even though there are fault lines running through the country and through the Punjab itself which the militants are exploiting.

"Relations between the US and Pakistan are at an impasse. Neither can abandon each other, but neither can deliver what the other really wants."
* Guardian: Taliban extends towards Islamabad
* Independent: Pakistan scrambles to repel Taliban advance
* Telegraph: Taliban creating 'safe haven' in heart of Pakistan