As Pakistan's army steps up its offensive against the Taliban, a recent string of devastating attacks in Pakistani cities has led local newspapers to talk of a "black October" and has widened the gap between the country's government and its people.
Hostage-taking at army headquarters, coordinated attacks against the security forces, female suicide bombers: the Pakistani Taliban is getting creative in its ways to target the authorities.
The Pakistani army says the insurgency in the Swat valley has been quashed. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now returning to their valley. But did the army really win this battle against the Taliban?
